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PREFACE 



There is no omen more encouraging for Ire- 
land 's future than the great and growing desire 
which manifests itself for information as to 
Ireland's past. It is part, or, rather, a result 
of the intellectual revival which for a decade 
has been agitating the Irish race, and exhibits 
itself in tangible form in the many excellent 
books on Irish history which have recently ap- 
peared. The work herewith presented is not 
the least important of this class, and is in- 
tended to fulfill a purpose peculiarly its own. 

The author is to be commended for having 
noted the glaring defect in our system of educa- 
tion which excludes the study of Irish history, 
and for having striven— with what conspicuous 
success, the book speaks eloquently for itself— 
to remove what has often been put forward as 
an excuse for this defect, by producing a his- 
tory of Ireland which is most attractive from a 
literary point of view, whose facts have been 
conscientiously ascertained and are fairly 
stated, and which in its pedagogic form and 
arrangement complies in every particular with 
the exacting requirements of the school room. 

The intellectual renaissance which promises 

3 



4 PREFACE 

SO much glory for Ireland's future and so much 
profit for the world generally, furnishes an in- 
teresting psychological problem. This revival 
is dependent almost entirely on the inherent 
genius and instinctive love of learning of the 
Irish people, and owes little, if anything, to the 
ordinary and accepted agencies of education 
and civilization. Everything suggestive of the 
golden era of Ireland's intellectual achieve- 
ments was rigorously banished from the schools 
and colleges of Ireland. From the great univer- 
sities of Trinity in Dublin and Maynooth in 
Kildare down to the humblest National school 
at a crossroads in Kerry or Connemara, the Irish 
mind was stunted and dwarfed and distorted 
by a system of training which was carefully and 
cunningly designed to Anglicise Ireland. That 
the system failed is one of the miracles of his- 
tory. Misrepresentation, vandalism, even ignor- 
ance scientifically produced, could not kill the 
genius of Ireland. After long nights of dark- 
ness, during which at times it had disappeared 
completely and was often thought to have been 
extinguished forever, it reappeared, a mere 
spark, at first, but quickly to expand itself 
through its native fire and warmth, until it vir- 
tually blazes today, a sacred, living flame, rec- 
ognized, respected, perhaps, feared, even by the 
England which through so many generations 
had labored to destroy it. 

While the political reasons which banned 



PREFACE 

the study of Irish history in Irish schools can 
be easily understood, it is beyond comprehen- 
sion and explanation, why this Bceotian policy 
should have been imitated in this country by 
those to whom was entrusted the formation of 
the Irish-American character. But that the 
policy has been imitated, if not improved upon, 
is none the less a sad and pitiable fact. Irish 
societies, incapable of conceiving true Irish 
ideals ; indifferent Irish parents, unable to prize 
the rich heritage for their children and for 
humanity contained in the narratives of Ire- 
land's intellectual greatness; criminally negli- 
gent educators, who, with base ingratitude, for- 
got the heroic struggle against physical and 
spiritual serfdom which made possible the very 
existence of their schools— these are responsible 
for almost completing in this country, among 
the Irish- American millions, the satanic work of 
ignorance, f orgetfulness and apathy which Eng- 
land had begun in Ireland, but in which work, 
thank God, she has failed. 

This book appears at a most opportune time. 
It gives prominence to what is best and most 
ennobling in Erin's story. It sketches, with 
marked ability, the formative processes which 
have produced true Irish character, a character 
as pure and sterling as gold from the furnace, 
having as its distinguishing marks virtue, 
truthfulness, generosity ; love of home, religion 
and country; undying loyalty to principle; 



6 PREFACE 

Death before Dishonor. The book should be in 
every school room wherein the character of an 
Irish- American child is being fashioned: it 
ought also have a welcome place in every Irish- 
American home where the beautiful, the heroic 
and the chivalric in a people's story still find 
appreciation 

P. SHELLY O'RYAN, 
Member of the Chicago Board of Education. 

May 1, 1905: 




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QEO.FCRAW.EiC Chicago 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Chapter. ' Fage. 

i. The Geography of Ireland y 

11. The Pre-Christian Period 15 

III. The Laws, Customs and Antiquities 

OF THE Milesians 20 

I V. St. Patrick 35 

V. The Island of Saints and Scholars. . 43 

VI. The Danes 49 

VI 1. The Disruption of the Milesian Gov- 
ernment 62 

VIII. The Norman Invasion 66 

IX. The Confiscation of Ireland 73 

X. Ireland from 1198 to 1315 84 

XI. The Campaign Under Bruce 91 

XII. Norman-Ireland 97 

XI II. The Resistance of Art MacMorrough. 103 

XIV. The Troubles of the Colonists 110 

XV. The Geraldines 114 

XVI. The Beginning of Religious Persecu- 
tions :. , . 119 

XVII. The War of the Geraldines 129 

XVllI. The National Confederacy 139 

XIX. The End of Milesian Ireland 158 

XX. The War of 1641 168 

XXI. Cromwell and the Cromwellians. . . . 186 

XXll. The Ingratitude of Charles II 199 

XXIU. Tyrconnell's Administration 203 

XXIV. Tyrconnell's Campaign 219 

XXV. The Violation of a Treaty 234 

XXVI. The Penal Code 238 

4 



8 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Chapter. Page. 

XXVll. Dean Swift and the New Spirit of 

Freedom 243 

XXVI II. The Struggle for Legislative Inde- 
pendence 253 

XXiX. The United Irishmen 259 

XXX. The Rising of 1798 269 

XXXI. The Union and Emmet's Attempt 281 

XXXII. Catholic Emancipation 289 

XXXIII. The Repeal Agitation OF O'CoNNELL. . 298 

XXXIV. The Return to the Physical Force 

Policy 305 

XXXV. Home Rule and the Land Question.. 317 

XXXVI. Education 325 

Index 336 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



CHAPTER I. 

THE GEOGRAPHY OF IRELAND. 

Situation and Size.— Ireland is commonly des- 
ignated as one of the British Isles which lie 
in the Atlantic Ocean immediately off the west- 
ern coast of Europe. The Irish Sea and St. 
George's Channel separate it from the island 
of Great Britain. The island is three hundred 
and two miles long and one hundred and eighty- 
nine miles wide. Its area is nearly 32,524 
square miles. 

Names.— Many poetic names have been given 
this beautiful little island. Its early inhabit- 
ants called it Inis Ealga (Innis A al' ga), or 
Noble Island. Three queens, in turn, lent it 
their names, Bahnba, Fodhla (Fiola) and Eire. 
Most suggestive of all, however, is the name 
which the Milesians gave it when they sought 
their island home and found it, Inis Fail. 

**And lo, where afar o'er ocean shines 
A sparkle of radiant green, 
As though in that deep lay emerald mines. 
Whose light through the wave was seen. 

9 



10 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

'Tis Inis Fail— 'tis Inis Fail ! 
Rings o'er the echoing sea, 
While, bending to heav'n, the warriors hail 
That home of the brave and free. 

tF ^r tP tIF 'rr 

'' Nor frown was seen through sky or sea, 
Nor tear o'er leaf or sod. 
When first their Isle of Destiny 
Our great forefathers trod." 

Under Milesian rule, the island came also to 
be known as Scotia, sometimes as Scotia Major, 
to distinguish it from Scotland, which was then 
called Scotia Minor. The Romans, to whom its 
mild climate suggested a possible winter quar- 
ters, called it Hibernia. In the days of Chris- 
tianity, it gained the title, Inis Na Naoimh 
(Innis na Neeve), or the Island of Saints, from 
the fact that it has given to the Church more 
saints than any country of its size. 

Divisions.— Ireland is divided into four pro- 
vinces: Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Con- 
naught. These provinces have had various 
boundaries during the history of the country. 
In the early ages Munster was divided into 
two parts, the northern part being called Tho- 
mond, the southern being called Desmond. 
Wlien the Milesians ruled, the province Meath 
was formed by taking a portion away from 
each of the political divisions, or provinces, for 
the purpose of supporting the high king. All 
these larger divisions were again divided into 
smaller tracts. These subdivisions were inhab- 



THE GEOGRAPHY OF IRELAND 11 

ited by one or more clans. Under the English 
government the provinces were divided into 
counties. Ulster has nine counties: Donegal, 
Londonderry, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Mona- 
ghan, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Cavan; Leinster 
has twelve : Louth, Meath, West Meath, Long- 
ford, Dublin, Kildare, King's County, Queen's 
County, Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford and Kil- 
kenny; Munster has six: Waterford, Tipper- 
ary, Clare, Limerick, Cork and Kerry; Con- 
naught has five: Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, 
Mayo and Galway. 

Rivers.— The Shannon is the largest river in 
Ireland. The Boyne is noted for the famous 
battle fought on its banks. The Bann, the 
Blackwater, the Suire, the Moy, the Liffey, the 
Slaney, the Nore, the Erne, the Barrow, the Lee, 
the Avoca and the Foyle are rivers of import- 
ance in the geography of Ireland. 

Mountains. — The greater part of Ireland's 
surface is a plain, dotted often with low hills. 
The mountains are not high. To us of the land 
of the Rockies, the Sierras, the Adirondacks and 
even the Catskills they would seem little more 
than large hills; yet in their fastnesses many 
poor Celts found shelter more safe than that of 
the Sanctuary, which, in the Middle Ages was, 
by law, a refuge of the fugitive from which no 
violent arm dared to drag him. The principal 
mountains are : the Mourne Mountains, the 
highest peak of which is Sliev Donald (2,796 



12 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



ft.) ; the mountains surrounding Clew Bay, in 
Mayo, of which Muilrea (2,638 ft.) is the high- 
est; the Macgillicuddy Keeks of Kerry, the 
highest eminence of these being Garran-Tual 
(3,414 ft.) ; the Wicklow Mountains, with Lug- 
ganaquila rising 3,039 feet above sea level ; and 
several mountain ranges intersecting the in- 




THE LAKES OF KILLARNEY. 

Old Weir Bridge. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

terior of the island, among which are, the 
Devil's Bit, Sliev Bloom, the Galtees, Mt. Lein- 
ster and the Black Stairs. 

Lakes.— Among the lakes, those of Killarney 
are the most famous for their beauty. Lough 
Neagh is the largest lake in Ireland. Lough 



THE GEOGRAPHY OF IRELAND 13 

Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg are expan- 
sions of the Shannon River. Lough Corrib is 
the second largest lake in the island. Loughs 
Erne, Mask and Conn are also numbered among 
the larger lakes of Ireland. 

Bogs. — The bogs of Ireland are of two kinds, 
flat and mountain bogs. Lying east of the 
Shannon River is a great expanse of flat bog, 
called the bog of Allen ; and almost as large is 
the Barrow bog. All told there are one thous- 
and bogs in Ireland. In many places these bogs 
are dry and firm and can be made productive 
by draining ; but often they consist of danger- 
ous pools and quagmires. The inhabitants in 
the vicinity of a bog obtain their fuel from it 
by cutting into small sections— about the size 
of a brick— and by drying the peat or turf 
which mainly constitutes the bog. This peat is 
nothing more than decayed aquatic plants 
which have gradually changed into a damp, 
spongy substance and become part of the bog 
beneath. Besides peat, another valuable pro- 
duct is found in these bogs. This is a species of 
petrified wood, of jet black hue, called bog-oak, 
which, when carved and polished makes very 
beautiful ornaments. 

Minerals.— Besides the several coal fields of 
Ireland there are mines of iron, lead, copper, 
silver and gold, as well as quarries of slate and 
marble. But, although their island is so richly 
endowed by Nature, the Irish people have no 



14 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

facilities and no capital by which to work these 
mines. Were they given substantial encourage- 
ment in developing the coal fields alone, they 
would quickly settle for themselves the eco- 
nomic and political questions which have long 
puzzled statesmen; and the island of heroes, 
saints, scholars and beauty would become the 
home of art and luxury. 

Climate.— For three quarters of the year, the 
winds sweeping the island are westerly, so that 
the moisture of the Atlantic is being continu- 
ously spent there. A humid atmosphere and 
much rain is the result. To this is due the rich 
verdure of the country which has ^iven Ireland 
the name of Emerald Isle. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE PRE-CHRISTIAN PERIOD. 

Early Inhabitants.— There are various con- 
troversies regarding the origin of the Celtic 
race ; but, whatever their origin may have been, 
the people whom St. Patrick found upon his 
advent to Ireland were of three distinct types, 
the Firbolgs, the Tuatha De Danaans and the 
Milesians. The Firbolgs were the primitive 
race, spending their lives in herding sheep and 
tilling their fields. They left no impress of their 
existence upon the island except where they 
erected fortifications, called raths or forts, as 
protections against the Tuatha De Danaans, 
who arrived at a later period in Ireland. Al- 
though they had invaded the island and con- 
quered the Firbolgs, the Tuatha De Danaans 
were not a war-faring people, but were traders 
and manufacturers. They are supposed to have 
come from Attica, where they had learned the 
various arts and caught the cunning skill from 
the Greeks of Athens. So wonderful was their 
knowledge of mechanics and the liberal arts 
that the simple shepherd Firbolgs believed them 
to be dealers in the Black Art of magic. There 
are evidences that the mines of Ireland were 
worked by these people; and many specimens 

15 



16 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

of their handicraft, such as swords, artistically 
ornamented, shields, spearheads and other im- 
plements are still in existence. Throughout the 
island monuments and other proofs of their 
skill in masonry may be found in great numbers. 
But the Tuatha De Danaans were not destined 
to be the rulers of Ireland. Another race, a 
race of soldiers, conquerors, statesmen, was to 
take the government of the island from both 
the pastoral Firbolg and the Tuatha De Dan- 
aan artisan. And to this day, in spite of inva- 
sions that followed, in spite of the ravages of 
barbarous Danes, notwithstanding the blend- 
ing of the Anglo-Norman with their race, even 
against the dog-like tenacity of the Anglo- 
Saxon, the Irish people may look back through 
the centuries of bloodshed and persecutions to 
the moment when Inis Fail, the island of their 
destiny, became the home of the Milesians, and 
call it theirs, Milesian Ireland. For they have 
not given up the fight for their island home. 
With the same spirit of brave endurance and 
noble pride tha-t marked the Milesian fore- 
father, they cling to it, never failing, never 
weakening : 

'' Little these veterans mind. 
Thundering hail or wnnd, 
Stronger their ranks ,they bind, 
Matching the storm.'' 

Origin of the Milesians.— The Milesians, le- 
gends tell us, first dwelt in Scythia, from which 



THE PRE-CHRISTIAN PERIOD - 17 

country they wandered into Egypt, where they 
lived during the reign of Pharaoh. From 
Egypt, it is said, they were driven to the island 
of Crete. Not welcomed there, they returned 
to Scythia. Again wandering, these people 
reached Spain, where they settled for some time. 
Spain, however, was not their destined home, 
and, led by Miledh and his Druid, Caicher, who 
prophesied that they would find their final 
home on an island lying in the west, they sailed 
the sea in search of Inis Fail, and found it. 

Arrival of the Milesians. — The Milesians ar- 
rived in Ireland many centuries before the 
birth of Christ. Landing at the mouth of the 
Kiver Slaney in Wexford, they surprised the 
Tuatha De Danaans and demanded their sub- 
mission. Accusing Miledh of unfairness in thus 
surprising them, the Tuatha De Danaans re- 
quested him to return with his followers to his 
ships and to remove his fleet to a distance of 
*^nine waves" from the shore, promising to 
yield, should he effect a second landing. With 
the chivalry that characterizes the Milesian 
throughout history, Miledh agreed to give the 
enemy another chance. But as soon as they 
had reached the high sea, a terrible storm arose 
and wrecked the greater part of the fleet. Many 
of the Milesians were drowned. The survivors 
succeeded in landing in Kerry, at a point called 
Sliev Mish, near Tralee. Here they gave battle 
to the Tuatha De Danaans, During the pro- 



18 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

gress of the battle Miledh and his queen, Scota, 
were killed. The glen in which Scol;a was killed 
now bears her name, Glenscoheen, or Scota 's 
Glen. The Milesians, in spite of the death of 
their king, won the victory; and the Tuatha 
De Danaans retreated to Tailten in Meath, 
where they made another stand against the in- 
vaders. Once more the Milesians routed them. 
In this latter battle, the three kings of the Tua- 
tha De Danaans and their wives, Fodhla, Bahn- 
ba and Eire, who fought side by side with their 
husbands, were killed. The sons of Miledh, 
Eremon and Eber, now formed an alliance with 
both the Tuatha De Danaans and the Firbolgs 
and took possession of the island. Dividing the 
rulership between them, Eremon taking the 
north and Eber the south over which to hold 
sway, they lived in peace for one year, at the 
end of which a dispute arose and a battle en- 
sued. Eber was killed; and Eremon became 
sole and supreme ruler of Inis Fail. 

The Pagan Kings of Innis Fail.— Of the kings 
who succeeded Eremon until the advent of St. 
Patrick, there were one hundred and seventeen, 
each of whom did his part in an unconscious 
preparation for Christianity. Three of the most 
notable of these were Connor MacNessa, Cormac 
and Niall of the Nine Hostages. Connor Mac- 
Nessa reigned many years before the birth of 
Christ. To him is given the credit of establish- 
ing the Knights of the Red Branch, a company 



THE PRE-CHRISTIAN PERIOD , 19 

of chivalrous and brave men. Cormac began 
his reign in 227 A. D. He is noted for framing 
a code of laws by which for centuries Inis Fail 
was governed, and for composing the Psalter of 
Tara and the Teagasc an Righ (The Instruc- 
tions of a King). He was also said to have 
adored the God of the Christians, despising the 
numerous divinities which the Druids attempted 
to force upon his intelligence. Niall of the Nine 
Hostages derived his title from the fact that he 
had taken hostages from the provinces of Ire- 
land and Scotland, and thereby secured the 
homage of the kings of those provinces. He 
was the father of fourteen sons, from whom the 
principal families of Ireland are descended. 
These descendants were called the Hy-Niall of 
the North; and they gave to Ireland all her 
kings until the invasion of the Anglo-Normans. 
Niall was the involuntary agent in Christian- 
izing Ireland, for he it was, who brought cap- 
tive to the island St. Patrick and his two sis- 
ters, Dareca and Lupita. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE LAWS, CUSTOMS AND ANTIQUITIES 
OP THE MILESIANS. 

Civilization.— Though a pagan race, the Mil- 
esians were far from being uncivilized. In their 
social order and method of governing they were 
superior to the nations of western Europe, and 
even Rome did not possess a code of laws equal 
to that of Inis Fail, nor did Greece surpass it. 
In their island home, cut off from communica- 
tion with other peoples, the Milesians had devel- 
oped a strong, self-centered, self-reliant, regular 
life of their own. Theirs was not a borrowed 
civilization as was that of Britain, France, Ger- 
many and all the nations of western Europe. 
The clan system, the straight, legitimate line of 
nobility, the honor given the scholar and the 
respect shown the soldier, all indicate a devel- 
opment not found elsewhere at that period. 

The Clan System.— A clan comprised several 
families descended from the same ancestor. 
Each clan was governed by a chief, who was 
elected by the clansmen. To this chief the fami- 
lies of the clan gave tribute and rendered him 
service in times of war or whenever he needed 
such, and they, in turn, received his aid and pro- 
tection. He was their acknowledged leader and 

20 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 21 

as their leader received their homage ; but he 
was not their lord nor their master ; nor did he 
own the tract of land inhabited by his followers. 
Therein lay the difference between the Milesian 
and European civilization and government. 
Throughout Europe social order began with the 
king or the emperor, the nobles, and an op- 
pressed, slave-like populace. This was due to 
the feudal system. Wherever feudalism existed, 
the king w^as absolute ruler, and to pay his 
nobles for their services in times of war as well 
as for allegiance to him, he was accustomed to 
bestow upon them large tracts of land. Upon 
these lands the nobles built strong castles and 
fortified them against the attacks of their ene- 
mies, who were usually envious lords of their 
own nation. The poor people whose lot it was 
to till these lands became the vassals of the 
nobles, and w^ere as much the property of the 
plundering lords as was the land itself. They 
could call nothing their own, neither the fruit 
of their sowing, the cattle they fed, nor even 
the children whom God gave them. They had 
no rights but that of serving the lord of the 
castle. In Milesian Ireland no such state as 
feudalism could obtain, for it was contradictory 
to the clan system. According to the clan sys- 
tem, each member of the clan possessed rights 
equal to those of the others. The land belonged 
to the clan in common, not to the king, nor to 
the chief, nor to the clansmen, but to the clan as 



22 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

a whole. Certain parts of it, however, were 
set aside for the support of the chief, the tana- 
ist and the other public officials. It was a truly 
democratic basis upon which the land was held 
in Ireland in the days of the Milesians. The 
result of this system may be found even to this 
day in the self-respect and pride of those Irish 
of the Milesian descent. 

The Chief.— The chief tancy of a clan was 
usually inherited by the eldest son of the ruling 
chief, but not invariably so. Should he possess 
a bodily defect, he was debarred from the in- 
heritance, and another was chosen. When elec- 
ted, the new chief was escorted to the place of 
inauguration, selected, perhaps, by the ances- 
tors of his clan, generations before. There, 
standing on a stone which had served his prede- 
cessors, he swore to keep inviolate the customs 
of his clan. After the Teagasc an Righ had 
been read to him, he received the straight white 
wand, emblem of purity and rectitude, from 
the oUav of the clan. Then descending from the 
stone, he turned around three times to view the 
territory over which he had been chosen to 
rule. In order that a dispute might not arise 
upon the death of the ruling chief and thus 
cause a division of the clan, his successor was 
chosen during his lifetime. This official was 
called the Tanaist or Tanaisteacht. 

The Ard-Righ.— As stated in the previous 
chapter, the ard-righ was usually chosen from 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 



23 



the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. 
To hold the allegiance of the province kings or 
iChiefs, the ard-righ was accustomed to take 
ihostages from them. These hostages were, in 
Imost cases, their children. For his maintenance, 
'the province of Meath was set apart, and until 
the year 566 (A. D.), Tara was the home of the 




THE FEIS TARA. 

jard-righ. In that year, Dairmuid, who was then 

reigning, violated the sanctuary of St. Ruadan 

jby seizing the person of the Prince of Con- 

' naught, w^ho had sought protection there. To 

punish the desecrator, it is said, the good saint 

mrsed his home, and from that time Tara ceased 

to be the home of the ard-righ, for though all 

j succeeding ard-righs were called kings of Tara, 

J none cared to live in a place that a saint had 

I cursed. 



24 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Feis Tara.— One of the most remarkable of 
Milesian institutions was the renowned Feis 
Tara or the Triennial Parliament. This parlia^^ 
ment was established by the ard-righ, Ollamh | 
Piola, the Lycurgus of Ireland, who reigned 
nearly a thousand years before the birth oi^ 
Christ. The Feis Tara was composed of: 

1. All subordinate royal princes, or chiefs. 

2. All ollamhs (oUavs), bards, judges, schol 

ars and historians. 

3. All military commanders. 
When parliament met, the ard-righ presided. ^^ 

The Brehon Law.— The code of justice which 
directed the government and regulated the wor- 
ship of the Milesians was called the Brehon 
Law. This code existed from earliest times; 
down to 1600 A. D. One of the articles of this 
code provided for the imposition of a fine, orl 
eric, upon persons committing an offense^^ 
against justice. The criminal was fined 
according to his rank, and if he were 
unable to pay the eric, or should he - 
flee from justice, his clan was compelled I 
to pay it for him. In case of murder,;! 
the friends or relatives of the victim were^' 
allowed the privilege of refusing the eric and j 
demanding the death of the murderer. The 
judge, or brehon, who administered the law ^' 
usually inherited the office. ,Only certain fam- 
ilies were permitted to give ^ brehon from 
their number. Like the tanaist and other offi- 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 



25 



ials, the brehon received a portion of land for 
is support. His fees were, as a rule, cattle 
nd provisions. There was no bribery or con- 
iving at crime under the Brehon Law ; should 
iie brehon be tempted to give an unfair de- 
ision, he was branded on the cheek with a hot 
con and thus marked for life as an unjust 




ANCIENT HARPIST. 



This was 



judge, a traitor to his high office, 
'[rish law under real Irishmen. 

The Bard.— Among the public officials of the 
Milesian government were the poets, philoso- 
phers, scientists, historians and musicians. 
These are commonly called bards. In the days 
jof Inis Fail, the bards were greatly respected 



26 HISTORY OF IRELAND i| 

for their knowledge, loved for their entertain-'] 
ing powers and feared for the sarcasm with 
which they scourged those who displeased^ 
them. They had the gift of tongue which to- 
day still distinguishes the Celt. They were 
welcome at the board of prince and commoner;^] 
and, according to the warmth of the hospitality 
shown them, they paid for it in song, story or 
information of affairs outside the life of the 
clan that then entertained them. They were 
to the early Irish what our newspapers are to | 
us. It was often the custom of these wandering 4 
men of knowledge to attach themselves to the 
train of some chief, where they became the 
most favored members of the household. In 
such cases it was the duty of the bard to im- 
provise songs and narratives detailing the 
heroic deeds, citing the instances of valor and ^ 
praising the virtues of the particular chief who 
favored them. To these bards we owe much'^ 
of the ancient history of Ireland. 

Literature.— A race which gave a high place 
to the scholar and respected the bard naturally 
produced literature of no mean merit. The lit- 
erature resulted, too, from the clan system. 
Each clan had its bard as well as its chief and 
its judge; and the bard recounted the daily 
events of the clan which lengthened into one 
great history. This at first was handed down 
from generation to generation, and finally, when 
vellum was introduced, written down. In the 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 27 

:hird century Cormac, who was reigning ard- 
ngh, caused the annals of the country from the 
earliest period to be collected into a work 
called the Psalter of Tara. It was this king 
jwho revised the Brehon Laws, purified and con- 
|!iensed them. Besides this book, the Cuilmenn 
I was produced by the ancient Irish, This work 
was the most wonderful of the literary treas- 
ures of the pre-Christian period. The greatest 
3f pagan poets was Ossian, who was also a fa- 
mous warrior. His poems were naturally narra- 
liives of a warlike nature; but, like numerous 
•Dther works of the Milesians, only fragments of 
lis poetry are in existence. He flourished about 
300 A. D. One of the proofs of the superiority 
3f the pagan literature of Ireland is the fact 
that, when Christianity arrived, the literature 
iid not lose its individuality and become Chris- 
^dan in the re-telling under Christian rule. In 
;3ermany, England and other countries, the old 
ighting heroes of pre-Christian narratives were 
j coned down to gentle and brave knights of the 
'2ross; but in Ireland the pagan heroes of song 
md story remained pagan always, but pagans 
jDf pure morals and just living. 

, Music— The Milesians accorded to music a 
aigh place among the arts. No man was con- 
sidered educated who was without the mastery 
J3f that art. Stringed and wind instruments 
were used; but the harp was the most popular; 
iand it is for this reason the emblem of Erin. 



28 HISTORY OF IRELAND - 

The Irish language is peculiarly fit to be 
adapted to music, and the vocal music, as well 
as the instrumental, is sweet and expressive, "j 
The music of the Milesians may be said to be | 
of four kinds, the tender lullabies of the Sleep 
Music, the stirring, fiery songs of the Warj 
Music, the lively jig or reel of the Mirth Music, . 
and the sad, wild caoine of the Sorrow Music, i 

Religion.— Even in their paganism Ireland's 
people showed a predisposition to a high form 
of religion. While the Egyptians worshiped 
cats, crocodiles and other inferior objects as , 
their gods, and the Grecians and Romans made 
graven images of mythical beings who, they be- 
lieved, possessed the faults of humanity, the 
early Milesians gave their worship to the ele- 
ments and in later days many believed in one 
supreme being. A race that worshiped the , 
luminaries of the heavens must have been of a 
greater intellectual standard than those races 
which selected inferior animals and gods with 
human frailties to whom to give their homage. 
The character of the Celt even in paganism 
was a religious one, affectionate, artless and 
true. It was easy for St. Patrick to cast into 
this fertile soil the seeds of Christianity, and it 
was but natural that they should grow and 
thrive luxuriantly under his care. For the race 
was blessed from the beginning with the love of 
God. It possessed none of those vicious habits 
and disgusting practices that were common to 



r 

I 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 29 

other pagan nations. There were no vices incul- 
cated by ages of ignorant blindness, for, from 
the first, the Milesians w^ere groping for the God 
of St. Patrick. They s^ought Him in their wor- 
ship of the awfulness of His elements; they ad- 
^mired Him in the beauty of His creations, the 
sun and the moon; they feared Him in the 
strength of the storm and the quickness of the 
lightning ; and they loved Him in the gentle 
whisperings of the wind. They did not, as a 
i rule, carve hideous idols, nor did they bow 
'dow^n in weak submission to images graven by 
their own hands. They believed in fairies and 
elves, but even this pretty superstition pre- 
pared their simple hearts for the more beautiful 
belief of the existence of the spirit land. The 
presence of angels kneeling, unseen by mor- 
L tals, in adoration before the tabernacle w^a»s 
I not hard for these affectionate people to be- 
\ lieve when they discovered the angels to be 
more kind than the fairies. 

Dress.— In the eleventh century before the 
birth of Christ, Tighernmas, an ard-righ of that 
period, introduced the custom of distinguish- 
ing rank of the wearer by his dress. Members 
I ii.f the slave class were permitted to wear a 
dress of but one color; tillers of the soil, or 
j K^borers, w^ore two colors; soldiers, three; farm- 
ers, four ; nobles, five ; ollamhs, six ; and kings 
\ and queens, seven. Later the people dressed 
according to their means, those affording it 



30 HISTORY OF IRELAND i 

wearing as many colors and as fine material as 
they chose. The style of dress worn by the 
clans of early times was picturesque. The 
dress of the women was beautiful and graceful. 
Both men and women wore the Lena, a close- 
fitting garment, without sleeves, which covered c] 
the upper part of the body. With this the men 
wore a sort of trousers, and an outside article 
of dress, which was similar to a blouse and was 
bound ro'und the waist with the Cris, or girdle. 
The color of this garment was usually green, 
scarlet or a deep, rich crimson. It was called 
the Imar, and women wore it as well as the men. 
Another part of the Milesian woman's dress 
was the Caille, or veil, which 'was wound in 
artistic fashion around the head. The women's 
gowns usually hung in straight, simple lines, 
which gave an added grace to their carriage. 
Besides these articles of dress, a large cloak or 
mantle was thrown around the shoulders and 
caught up with a brooch of gold or silver. 

Houses.— The Milesians built their houses 
from timber, which they had in abundance, for 
Ireland was, at that time, covered with large 
forests. The shape of these houses was usually 
round or oval, but often the artisans varied the 
form of their structures to the rectangular style. 
For protection against their enemies they built 
in groups and raised high embankments, called 
raths, around each group. These embankments 
are to be found in many places in Ireland at 



LAWS OF THE MILESIAKS 31 

the present time, and are familiarly known as 
forts. 

Food.— The Milesians commonly used oats, 
wheat, rye and barley for food. Out of these 
g'rains, which they ground in a primitive man- 
ner, they made bread and various kinds of 
cakes. Instead of butter they used honey. 
Koasts of all kinds of game as well as of the 
flesh of domestic animals w^ere to be found on 
the board of the chief and his clan. The chil- 
dren, and those adults who cared for it, ate 
oatmeal porridge, or, as it came to be known, 
in the days of English-speaking, stirabout. 
Their drinks consisted of water, milk, ale and 
a delicious liquor, called mead. Wine was also 
known to the Milesians, it being imported from 
European countries. The method of preparing 
the food for the table was, of course, simple and 
primitive. The meat, often the whole carcass of 
the animal, was put on a spit and slowly turned 
before a great, roaring fire. 

Houses of Public Hospitality.— The Brehon 
Laws provided for the lodging of travellers and 
strangers throughout Ireland. Since there were 
no hotels in those days, men were appointed, as 
officials of the government, to look after the 
welfare of all travellers. These officials were 
called Brugaid and were to be found in various 
parts of the island. On account of their posi- 
tion, which was recognized as a most honorable 
one, they were highly respected by the clans- 



32 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

men. They were obliged by law to have a 
larder well stocked with provisions and to have 
a certain number of beds and other furniture 
for the free entertainment of strangers. For 
this purpose, each Brugaid was given a large 
tract of land for which he was to pay no taxes, 
and he was supplied with all things necessary 
to his calling. In order to direct travellers to 
the abode of the Brugaid, a light was always 
kept burning at night, on the grounds outside; 
and often the weary heart of a poor stranger 
was cheered by the hospitable glow. 

The Burial of the Dead.— Sometimes the dead 
of the Milesians were cremated and the ashes 
placed in urns made for that purpose, but 
usually the body was buried. In some cases 
where the body of a soldier was interred, it was 
placed in a standing position, facing the direc- 
tion of his enemies, and fully armed as if for 
battle. Mounds of stone and clay, called earns, 
were erected over the graves. Of these mounds 
there are many still in existence throughout Ire- 
land. They may be found often on the summits 
of hills, where chiefs of the clans were buried. 
Sometimes pillars were placed over the remains 
of the Milesians. And, when the dead man 
was of high standing, a prince or a king, a 
tomb, not unlike our present-day tombs, was 
built over his body. These tombs were formed 
by raising large stone slabs on end, around 
the remains, and roofing them with another 
stone of even greater size. They are known as 



LAWS OF THE MILESIANS 33 

cromlechs, but in some places the people call 
them Giants' Graves. 

Weapons.— Several kinds of weapons were 
used in the hunt and in battle by the Milesians. 
The Craiseach was a large, thick spear with a 
blunt point and a sharp edge; the Sleagh, a 
light, narrow, sharp-pointed spear. Both of 
these were used for thrusting. For throwing, 
the Gae and Fogad, light javelins, were used. 



IRISH ANTIQUITIES. 

as was also the Saiget, which was kept, when 
not in use, in a Bolg, or pouch. The Lia Lamha 
Laic, or champion's handstone, a weapon 
shaped like an axe and sometimes called a celt, 
was thrown, instead of being used for hacking 
or chopping. That most primitive of weapons, 
the sling, called in Gaelic, Taball, was also 
used. The Claidem, or broadsword, and the 
shield, or Sciath, were common, too. The Sciath 
was sometimes made of wood and sometimes of 
metal. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ST. PATRICK. 

Patricius, the Captive.— When Niall of the 
Nine Hostages returned to Ireland from an ex- 
pedition to the continent, he brought with him 
a number of captives, among whom was Patri- 
cius, son of Calpurnius, a Roman officer who 
had married a Gallic maiden named Conchessa, 
sister of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours. The boy, 
Patricius, was about sixteen years when Niall 
carried him off from his home, and for seven 
years he served as slave. He finally escaped 
and returned to his home in Gaul. 

His Return to Ireland.— This youthful cap- 
tive, however, was destined to return to the 
scene of his former bondage, but not as slave. 
A higher destiny was his. After his escape 
from the Irish, his parents put him under the 
tutelage of his uncle, the Bishop of Tours, and 
he rapidly advanced in learning and piety. 
During his captivity he had become greatly at- 
tached to the Irish people ; and when his educa- 
tion was finished, the desire grew within him to 
return to Ireland with the message of God, that 
he might convert his former masters to Chris- 
tianity. Hearing of his great zeal and his wish 
to spread the gospel among the^ Irish, Pope 
Celestine consecrated him Bishop and sent him 

34 



ST. PATRICK 



35 



officially to Christianize the island. Thus did 
St. Patrick become the apostle to Ireland. 

St. Patrick at Tara.— St. Patrick arrived in 
Ireland in 432 A. D. Landing at Wicklow, he 
met with hostility from the clan living there, 




ST. PATRICK. 

and was compelled to return to his ship. Un- 
daunted, however, by this reception, he made a 
more successful attempt and landed 
farther north on the island. Wisely 432 A.D. 
conceiving the idea of preaching to 
the ard-righ and his nobles, he set forth 
to Tara with this bold project in his mind. He 



36 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



arrived at Tara upon the eve of the feast of 
Beal, the fire-god. Throughout the island the 
fires had been extinguished, and it was forbid- 
den anyone under penalty of death to enkindle 
a fire until the great national fire at Tara w^as 
burning. The chiefs were all assembled, await- 
ing the opening of the ceremonies, when St. 
Patrick arrived at the top of the Hill of Slane, 
not far from Tara. Remembering it was Easter 





Shrine of the Bell. ^l Patrick's Bell. 

IRISH ANTIQUITIES. 



Eve, he lit the paschal fire according to the 
custom of the early Christians. The Druids 
who were in attendance at the Tara ceremonies, 
looking towards the hill, saw the light in a 
moment. Rushing to the ard-righ, they excit- 
edly ordered that the fire be quenched immedi- 
ately, and prophesied that wer^ it not put out at 
once, the fire of St. Patrick woul(i burn forever 
in Ireland. Their prophecy was fulfilled, for 
the light of the Christian faith has burned, 



ST. PATRICK 37 

sometimes brilliantly, sometimes low, but al- 
ways steadily in the hearts of the Irish people. 

The ard-righ commanded that a chariot be 
sent to convey the desecrator of the feast back 
to Tara, where it was decided among the druids 
that he would forfeit his life for the of- 
fense, in the meantime, forbidding the peo- 
ple to show the culprit any sign of respect, 
either by standing or acknowledging his pres- 
ence in any other manner. But, when the saint 
was brought in their presence, a chief, named 
Ere, with intuitive veneration for the man of 
God, arose immediately, contrary to the man- 
date of the ard-righ. To the ard-righ, St. Pat- 
rick explained his presence in the island ; and, 
as if by miracle, he was protected from death 
that day. He was instead invited to appear the 
next day at the court to debate the question of 
religion with the druids, who were the priests 
of the pagans. On the following day St. Pat- 
rick returned with eight priests who had ac- 
companied him to Ireland, and the youthful 
Benignus, a son of a chief whom he had con- 
verted on his way into the interior of the island. 
On this glorious Easter day it was a wonderful 
sight which dazzled the eyes of the Milesians at 
Tara ; for, resplendant in robes of the purest 
white, the saint and his companions marched 
upon them, chanting slowly and solemnly a lit- 
any which called down to their aid the miracu- 
lous power that resulted in Ireland's conver- 



38 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

sion. Confused with the logic of the saint, the 
druids soon gave up their efforts to condemn 
him before the ard-righ, and the ard-righ, fear- 
ing to anger so wonderful a man, professed be- 
lief, which, although not genuine, was, at least, 
a proof of Patrick's influence over the wicked. 
Conall Creevan, brother of the ard-righ, Laori, 
was among the first disciples of the saint, and 
many chiefs and oUamhs followed his example. 

The Shamrock as St. Patrick's Aid.— It 
seemed as if, on that day, all nature was ar- 
rayed on behalf of the apostle. The sun was 
shining, the air was clear, and the sky told of 
the infinite that was not of earth ; but truest of 
all, the little tre-foil leaf at his feet, the sham- 
rock of Erin, lent its aid, when St. Patrick, on 
looking around for a means of explaining the 
doctrine of the Trinity, spied the graceful 
plant. Stooping, he plucked it, and, raising it 
aloft, pointed to the three parts growing on 
the one stem and forming one leaf, yet with 
each part distinct in itself. And the sons of 
nature, listening to him, were taught to believe 
in the Creator of all nature. 

Missionary Labors.— Satisfied with his suc- 
cess in the province of the ard-righ, St. Patrick 
became eager to convert the clans of the other 
provinces, and he, therefore, soon continued his 
journey through the island. In Connaught he 
spent seven years, traveling from county to 
county, preaching the gospel. Everywhere was 



ST. PATracK . . 39 

he received with love and respect; and the 
number and facility of conversions surpassed 
anything in the history of the Church. 
Churches sprang up wherever he preached and 
; schools were instituted as fast. Convents, 
. monasteries and hermitages soon became nu- 
merous in the island. In the county of Mayo 
I he spent forty days of Lent in fasting and pray- 
ing, on the mountain which now bears his 
j name, Croagh Patrick. These prayers and mor- 
I tilications he offered to God for the preserva- 
tion of the faith among the Irish race, and it is 
needless to say that they have been accepted. 
From Mayo he went to Tirawley, where he con- 
verted the seven sons of the chief as well as 
twelve thousand clansmen. Leaving Con- 
naught, he went north to Ulster, and there met 
with the same success. Revisiting Meath, he 
appointed St. Secundinus bishop of the north- 
ern portion of the island, so that that part al- 
read}^ converted might be under some guidance 
and authority in his absence. He then visited 
Leinster, where he made many converts and 
founded several churches. In this province he 
spent a time with Dubtach, the chief bard of 
Erin, who, as Ere had done at his first appear- 
ance at Tara, had risen in respect when he re- 
turned in answer to the ard-righ's invitation. 
Dubtach had become a disciple on that day and 
continued to practice his faith in his Leinster 
home. He introduced to the saint another dis- 



40 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ciple, whom he had, himself, converted, one 
Fiech, who asked and received holy orders from 
the Saint. Fiech was the first man of Leinster to 
become a bishop, for his zeal soon caused him 
to be raised to the episcopacy. St. Patrick, af- 
ter spending some time in Ossory, went to Mun- 
ster, where he baptized the king of Cashel, Oen- 
gus, who, during the ceremony, received a 
wound from the spike of St. Patrick's crozier, 
which the saint had unwittingly dropped upon 
his foot. On learning of the accident St. Pat- 
rick asked the neophyte why he had not cried 
out, and was told by him that he thought it was 
part of the ceremony. ^^Thou shalt have its 
reward, ' ' Patrick promised this ^elf -made mar- 
tyr, ^^for thy successors shall not die of a 
wound from to-day forever.'' Near Limerick 
the people of North Munster came in great num- 
bers and from long distances to hear him 
preach and to be baptized. Thus it was all 
through Ireland, St. Patrick found little opposi- 
tion and much faith, and he blessed the land, 
prophesying that many saints would live there. 

Death of St. Patrick.— In Ulster, the chief of 
the district of Armagh, Daire, gave the saint a 
hill upon which to build a church. This church 
became the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction 
in Ireland and was called the See of 
Armagh. It was here, after years 493 A. D. 
of fruitful toil, quietly and peace- 
fully St. Patrick laid down the burdens of life 



ST. PATRICK 



41 



to receive the reward of the greater and fuller 
life which he had so nobly earned. He was 
buried at Downpatrick. 

The Results of St. Patrick's Mission.— The 
manners of the Irish people did not change 
greatly after the advent of St. Patrick among 




DOWNPATRICK CATHEDRAL. 

This edifice is said to be built on the site of the ancient 

church in which were deposited the remains of 

SS. Patrick, Brigid and Columba. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



them. The only difference lay in the fact that, 
instead of wasting their affection and worship 
on false idols, they now gave it ungrudgingly 
to the God into Whose fold the saint had gath- 
ered them. And their religious hearts found a 
satisfaction in the teachings of the Christian 



42 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



Church which they had not found in the wor- 
ship of the sun. In their laws there were a few 
changes, made to coincide with the new relig- 
ion. These chang^es were made by St. Patrick, 
three bishops, three scholars, and three kings, 
who met and revised the Brehon Law as it was 
recorded by Cormac MacArt in a book called 
the Seanchus Mor (Great Law). 




IRISH ANTIQUITIES. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE ISLAND OF SAINTS AND SCHOLAES. 

Inis Na Naoimh.— One of the most important 
results of St. Patrick's mission in Ireland was 
the rapid growth of monastic orders. Through- 
out the island monasteries sprang up in great 
numbers, and from these emerged men whose 
piety and zeal became of world-wide renown, 
and gave to Inis Fail the name of Inis 
Na Naoihm, the Island of Saints. 

St. Brigid.— Among the first converts of St. 
Patrick was the maiden Brigid, the Pearl of 
Ireland. She was a daughter of a most illustri- 
ous family of Leinster, but was born during a 
sojourn of her parents in Fochard, near Dun- 
dalk, about the year 453. It is said that St. 
Patrick baptized her, and that St. Maccaile be- 
stowed upon her the veil of religion, when she 
was but a girl in years. She established the 
convent of Kildare, which became the center of 
religious life in Ireland. Not only is St. Brigid 
venerated in Ireland, but also throughout Italy, 
Germany, France, England, Portugal and the 
Hebrides Islands, where churches have been 
erected to her honor. She died in the year 523. 

St. Columba.— Butler, in his Lives of the 
Saints, compares St. Patrick to the sun, St. 
Brigid to the morning star and St. Columba to 

43 



44 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

the moon. And there is no better description of 
those three beautiful lives— St. Patrick the glo- 
rious, Brigid, the clear shining light of Irish 
womanhood, and Columba gleaming white, 
peaceful and pure before the eyes of men. Co- 
lumba, who was the descendant of a royal Irish 
race, left Ireland with twelve companions to 
establish a monastery in lona, an island off the 
coast of Scotland. To him the Scots and Picts 
of Britain owe their conversion to the Christian 
faith, and from his successors, Ardan, Finnan 
and Colman, the Saxons received the light of 
Faith. 

St. Columbanus.—A saint whose name is 
often confused with that of St. 'Columba is St. 
Columbanus, who was born in Leinster in 543. 
Columbanus was educated in one of the most 
celebrated monasteries of Ireland, Bangor, 
founded by St. Congall. From this monastery 
he set forth with twelve other monks to spread 
the gospel among the heathen peoples of Bur- 
gundy, Switzerland and Italy, where they 
labored for many years. To these men, Colum- 
banus and his companions, modern Europe 
owes its civilization. Columbanus died Nov. 
21, 615 A. D. 

St. Gall.— Among the companions of St. Co- 
lumbanus was the monk, Gallus, who, on ac- 
count of an illness incurred 'while laboring 
among the Allemani, a tribe of Germany, was 
compelled to separate from his comrade and 



THE ISLAND OF SAINTS 45 

friend, and remain behind, while Columbanus 
proceeded to Lombardy. St. Gall or Gallus did 
not remain idle in his Master's vineyard, but 
set about the work of civilizing and converting 
the Germans and Swiss. In 613 A. D. he found- 
ed a monastery which became the most re- 




RUINS OF CLONMACNOISE. 

Founded by St. Ciaran A. D. 548. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

nowned school of ancient Germany, and for 
more than three hundred years remained the 
center of learning of the whole kingdom. 

The Schools of Ireland.— Bangor and Ar- 
magh in Ulster, Clonmacnoise, between Lein- 
ster and Connaught, and Lismore of Munster 
were the four principal seats of learning in Ire- 



46 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

land. Among the others were Mungret, near 
Limerick, which was established by St. Nes- 
san; Clonard, founded by St. Finnan; Glen- 
dalough, by St. Kevin, and a school in 
Galway established by St. Brendan, the navi- 
gator, to whom some historians give the credit 
of discovering America. In these schools many 
famous books were written, and from these 
schools men went forth to spread the light of 
civilization throughout the continent of Eu- 
rope. For when the Vandals and Franks and 
Attila's wild Huns swept down upon the 
nations of Europe and destroyed the first fruits 
of Roman civilization and religion, the fear- 
less monks of Ireland left the quiet of their 
cloisters and crossed over to the continent. 
Dressed in the coarsest of garments, equipped 
only with leathern knapsacks in which they 
carried their food, and carrying their long 
writing tablets of wood, they traveled about 
everywhere, through Germany, through France, 
through Northern Italy, establishing monas- 
teries and schools, where they imparted their 
culture to the natives. Thus while the Teuton 
and the Anglo-Saxon were in a state of semi- 
barbarism the Irish monks in their charity 
wandered among them, giving of their high 
culture and civilization as well as their religion 
a generous part. 

Art.— In beautiful Ireland, the artistic in- 
stinct could not help but appear early among 



THE ISLAND OF SAINTS 



47 



the people, and the mediaeval monasteries 
abounded in rare examples of art, the hand- 
maid of religion. Illuminated manuscripts 
were the principal form of art found in the 
first centuries of the Christian era. Illumina- 
tion, now lost to the world, had reached a 
high degree of perfection among the Irish, 




ROUND TOWER. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



and scholars and monks came from all 
over the world for instruction. To this day 
the continental museums contain many old 
manuscripts, falsely termed Anglo-Saxon, that 
were written and ornamented by the inmates 
of Ireland's monasteries. This was not the 
only kind of art found in Ireland in her 



48 



HISTOEY OF IRELAND 



early days. The elaborately carved Celtic 
Crosses, the Tara Brooch, and St. Patrick's 
Bell, the carvings and architecture found 
in the ancient churches all attest the artistic 
nature of the Celt. The Round Tower, unique 
in its style, too, is an evidence of the knowl- 
edge of architecture that did not depend upon 
Roman or Greek. Some antiquarians have 
attempted to prove that these Round Towers 
were products of Danish invention, but the 
later theory is that they are of Christian Celtic 
origin, having been used as belfries by the 
monks of the monasteries. Decoration, whether 
of books, monuments or buildings, was unlike 
those of other western nations.' The accuracy 
of these decorations is so great that the most 
bitter of Ireland's enemies, Gerald Cambrensis, 
in describing them, said that they were wrought 
by angels rather than by men. 





Ancient Font of Chnard. Tara Brooch. 

IRISH ANTIQUITIES. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE DANES. 

Their Invasion of Ireland.— -In the latter 
part of the eighth century, the Danes, or Norse- 
men, a piratical people from Scandanavia,' 
began a series of depredations on Ireland which 
lasted for two centuries. They were of a 
pagan race whose religion was one of war and 
plunder and whose gods were worshiped for 
ferocity instead of for justice. Dissatisfied 
with their own barren lands and cold climate, 
bands of these savage people were accustomed 
to embark in their Viking ships and to wander 
over the seas in search of climes more pleas- 
ant. Averse to settling in the foreign lands 
which they visited, they went ashore only to 
pillage and burn. Swooping down upon some 
defenseless coast-town, they would seize and 
carry off everything portable, particularly 
marking churches and monasteries as rich fields 
for their harvest of thefts, and, before the sur- 
prised inhabitants awoke to the realization of 
their visitation, they would depart as suddenly 
as they had come. These enemies to progress 
and civilization, selecting the island 
of Erin as a desirable place for 792 A. D. 
their headquarters, proceeded to sub- 
due it. They came in great numbers to the 

49 



50 HISTOEY OF IRELAND 

island, and harbored their fleets in the ports 
of Drogheda, Wexford, Limerick, Waterford 
and Dublin. At first the Irish made little 
resistance, allowing* them to remain on the 
coast; and, although they did not venture far 
into the interior, they continued a desultory 
war upon the clans along the coast. In 
812 A. D. so great were the devastations of 
these marauders, and so numerous were the 
murders committed by them that the clans 
arose in self-defense and drove them out of 
the island. Again, they returned, to be again 
driven away in 832 A. D. But these defeats 
only served to make them more anxious to 
subdue the Irish, and they continued to infest 
the country. 

Turgesius.— In the reign of Niall III, the 
Danish chieftain, Turgesius, invaded 
Ireland, and for years tyrannized 832 A. D. 
over the people with great brutal- 
ity. He established his court in the cathedral 
of Clomacnoise, using for his throne the high 
altar, and from these sacred precincts he gave 
commands of such inhumanity that Ireland 
was rendered all but a desolate waste. He 
forbade the Christian faith to be practiced by 
the inhabitants ; he pillaged the churches, strip- 
ping the shrines of their gold and precious 
jewels, and destroyed the holy relics of ven- 
erated saints; he closed the schools, dispersed 
the teachers, and, in his barbarous ignorance, 



I 



THE DANIK 51 

burnt the books which his followers found; 
and, finally, he caused the Archbishop of 
Armagh, ^'the successor of St. Patrick,'' to be 
imprisoned in the Danish chieftain's strong- 
hold. 

Malachy.— Amid all the devastation and 
havoc created by this savage, the Irish chiefs, 
instead of uniting to destroy him, their arch- 
enemy, were childishly contending with one 
another for kingdoms that the Danes were 
ravaging while they were fighting. In their 
dissensions, they would have soon become a 
race extinct and have lefit the island to the 
barbarians, were it not for Malachy, the first 
of Ireland's long list of patriots. At an oppor- 
tune time Malachy seized the per- 
son of the tyrant, Turgesius, and, 445 A. D. 
binding him hand and foot, carried 
him to the River Shannon, into whose con- 
venient depths he dropped the now helpless 
Dane, leaving the work of annihilation to the 
waters. Gathering courage from this brave 
deed, the clans arose against the invaders and, 
in a sudden onslaught, scattered them to the 
sea-ports, meanwhile giving Ard-righ Niall 
time to assemble forces for further operations 
against the common enemy. Thus for the 
time being the strength of the Danes was 
broken. 

The Dalcassians.— The Danes, however, by 
no means had lost their foothold on the island. 



52 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

They were not driven from the sea-ports, but 
were left to settle in the towns of Wexford, 
Drogheda, Waterford, Limerick and Dublin, 
where they carried on an extensive maritime 
trade with other countries. Since they were 
of commercial use to them, the Irish allowed 
them to remain in these towns unmolested. 
Soon again they began to prey upon the clans, 
making raids upon them whenever an oppor- 
tunity presented itself. The territory of the 
Dalcassians suffered greatly from the repeated 
attacks of these pirates, for Thomond offered 
rich field for thieving and plundering. The 
Dalcassians were not a people who would sub- 
mit tamely to abuse. On account of its brav- 
ery, this clan had been given the hereditary 
right to lead an advance against the nation's 
enemies at all times, and to form the rear- 
guard when leaving the foeman's country. For 
a while they fought the Danes in a guerilla 
warfare, but Mahon, who ruled the Dalcassians 
jointly with his brother, Brian, patched up a 
peace with the strangers. Brian, indignant 
with this show of friendliness towards the bar- 
barians, assembled the clansmen and demanded 
their will in regard to the peace. Unanimously 
they called for war. Brian then persuaded 
Mahon to join him and called upon the Eogha- 
nachts, a friendly clan, to aid them. He set 
out to plunder the settlements of the Danes 
throughout Munster. A battle took place at 



THE DANES . 53 

Solohead, a town three miles north of Tippe- 
rary, where the Danes were defeated. They 
fled to Limerick, but were followed by the 
Dalcassians and their allies, who took the 
fortress into which they had retreated, and 




BRIAN BOROIMHE, KING OF MUNSTER. 

killed all those who resisted, taking captive 
the remainder, whom they made slaves. 

Brian Boroimhe.— Soon after the battle of 
Solohead, Mahon met death at the 
hands of one of the chiefs who had 976 A. D. 
treacherously joined the Danes, and 
Brian became king of Cashel. He proved to 



54 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

be a strong and powerful ruler; and his influ- 
ence increased, not only among his own clans- 
men, but also among the neighboring clans. 
So potent did he become that, upon the ascent 
of Malachy to the throne of ard-righ, Brian 
insisted upon sharing the rulership of the 
island with him. Malachy, the magnanimous, 
the patriotic, consented to this division of his 
power, believing that, by doing so, he would 
prevent his country from being ruined by 
internal wars which would follow his refusal. 
As with all self-appointed rulers, the right of 
Brian to rule Ireland was soon ques- 
tioned and his rulership opposed. 998 A. D. 
The king of Leinster refused to 
acknowledge him as joint ruler with Malachy. 
Brian, to compel his allegiance, immediately 
made war upon him; and Malachy obligingly 
gave his assistance to the ambitious Dal- 
cassian. With Danes as his allies, the king 
of Leinster met Brian at Glenmama in Wick- 
low, where Brian defeated him in a fiercely 
waged battle. Four thousand Leinster men 
were killed, and Maelmordha, the king, was 
taken prisoner while attempting to hide in 
a hollow tree. Brian now exacted a tribute 
from the men of Leinster, from which exploit 
he gained the title of Brian Boroimhe (Boru), 
cr Brian of the Tribute, by which he was 
henceforth known. Having settled with his 
enemies of Leinster, Brian now turned his 



THE DANES 55 

attention to the Danes and marched to Dublin, 
where he defeated the foreigners and captured 
the town. 

Brian Becomes Sole Ard-righ.— Flushed with 
his continued success, Brian decided to become 
sole ruler of Ireland. Fearing opposition from 
Malachy, he gathered allies from Connaught, 
Ossory, and even from the Danes whom he 
had reduced to servitude, and invaded the 
territory that belonged to Malachy. But all 
this preparation was unnecessary, as far as the 
rightful ard-righ, Malachy, was concerned, 
for that patriot, still considerate of his coun- 
try's welfare, yielded his right to Brian, and 
the latter became sole ard-righ of Ireland. For 
fifteen years Brian governed the island, which 
i became remarkably quiet and prosperous under 
jhis rule. In spite of his injustice to Malachy, 
j which was mainly caused by his ambition to 
govern the country as he thought it ought to 
be governed, Brian proved to be just, wise 
and firm in his dealings with his subjects. He 
jaccomplished much in uniting the warring 
factions which hitherto had been the cause of 
I the island's misfortunes. He rebuilt the 
churches that had been destroyed by the 
iDanes, re-established old and founded new 
schools, endowed monasteries with lands and 
cattle, made new roads and prepared for a 
possible enemy by strengthening all fortifica- 
tions. Through his successful management of 



56 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

the affairs of the island, its law and order 
had reached such a high degree in regard to 
the observance of it that woman or stranger, 
might roam through Ireland, from coast to 
coast, and though possessing money, adorned 
with jewels, or blessed with beauty, if a 
woman, the traveler was safe from robber or 
assassin. 

''No son of Erin will offer me harm: 
For, though they love woman and golden 

store, 
Sir Knight ! they love honor and virtue 

more." 

For the preservation of Irish genealogy, 
Brian decreed that every family in Ireland 
should adopt a surname, there being no sur- 
names among the Irish up to this time, and, 
in obedience to this decree, the clans took the ^ 
name of a worthy ancestor, by which the f 
family was ever after known. The Irish are 
thus known by the prefixes Mac (son of) and ; 
Ua, or (descendant of) and the name of 
their chosen ancestor. 

''By Mac and 0' you'll always know 

True Irishmen, they say; 
But when they lack the O' and Mac 
No Irishmen are they." , 

The Defection of Maelmordha.— Maelmordha 

(Mai mordha), king of Leinster, whose life had 
been spared in the battle of Glenmama, had 
never willingly submitted to Brian's authority 



II 



THE DANES 57 

as ard-righ. He had, nevertheless, shammed 
allegiance, preferring submission to death. 
But one day, while at Tara, Maelmordha 
ibecame involved in a quarrel, over a game of 
chess, with Donough, son of Brian. The youth, 
during the argument, mockingly referred to 
Maelmordha 's defeat at Glenmama. The lat- 
ter, in great wrath hastily left the court, 
throwing back the threat that he would give 
the enemy,— meaning the Danes,— better advice 
than that which he had given at Solohead. 
Returning to Leinster he irnmediately began 
preparations for another revolt. With a few 
dissatisfied princes and their clans, and the 
Danes who had been his allies at Solohead, he 
soon had gathered a large army. At first, 
Brian was inclined to treat the news of Mael- 
mordha 's preparations with scorn, but, at the 
advice of Malachy, who foresaw serious 
■ trouble, he strengthened his forces, and set out 
for Dublin, where he quietly awaited the com- 
ing of Maelmordha and his allies. 

The Battle of Clontarf.— In answer to the 

call of their countrymen in Ireland, the Danes 

of the Isle of Man, the Orkney Islands, the 

Hebrides, and those of England and Scotland 

had come over in great numbers to the assist- 

I ance of the Leinster men and the great host 

j encamped not far from Brian's army, which 

j had settled on the plain of Clontarf. With this 

j huge army before him Brian realized that the 



V 



58 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

coming battle would be a crisis in the history 
of his country and he proceeded to make 
solemn preparation for it. On the eve of 
Good Friday, just before the battle, he took his 
place at the head of his ranks, and, with 
crucifix in hand, he earnestly exhorted his 
soldiers to fight with all their strength and 
courage, reminding them of the crimes and 



BATTLE OF CLONTARF. 

sacrileges which the Danes had perpetrated, 
and praying that they would win the battle 
in the name of Him Who had died on that 
day one thousand years before. The 
next morning the Irish army marched 1014 
forward, with the Dalcassians, com- 
manded by Murrough, son of Brian, in the 
front. Brian himself, who was now eighty- 



THE DAISTES . 59 

eight years old, was compelled, on account 
of his advanced age, to retire to the rear, there 
to await the development of the battle. The 
battle lasted from early dawn to sunset. Fi- 
nally the strength of the Danes was broken, 
and they attempted a retreat to their ships, 
which lay in the harbor close by; but, as it 
was high tide, those who escaped from the 
battlefield were drowned in the attempt to 
reach the ships. The grandson of Brian, Tur- 
lough, in his eagerness to vanquish a Dane 
with whom he had had an encounter, followed 
the man into the water and was also swept 
away with the tide. Although the victory was 
a glorious one for the Irish, unfortunately, 
Brian did not live to enjoy the news of Mael- 
mordha's defeat. While kneeling in prayer 
for the success of his army, the aged king 
met death at the hands of a Danish chief- 
tain, who, in his precipitous flight, came upon 
the old king kneeling alone ' in his tent, and, 
rushing in upon him, killed him. Murrough, 
who had lead the Dalcassians, was also killed, 
and Donough, the other son of Brian, was left to 
command his father's army and to lead it back 
into Munster. 

End of the Danish Invasions.— The battle 
of Clontarf taught the Danes that it was 
futile to attempt to conquer the Irish. For 
centuries they had vainly tried to subdue 
the clans, and had been resisted by various 



60 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

individual clans, and, at length when with 
a concerted action the Irish had literally 
swept them off the island, they were loath to 
try again. They had come fully prepared 
in both numbers and equipment to assist 
Maelmordha, and they had lost. Their power 
in the island was completely destroyed; and, 
although they still retained possession of 
Dublin and a few other sea-ports, their 
chances of rulership were gone. 

The Effects of the Danish Invasions.— 
Although the Irish were successful in freeing 
themselves of the Danish yoke, they could 
not remove the imprints of coarse brutality 
and ignorance which the pagans had left 
upon the island. Ireland was never the same 
snug little home of culture and Christian 
charity since the coming of the Danes that 
it had been before. That island, which had, 
before the invasion, been a model of Christian 
refinement and learning, was now bereft of 
those characteristics which had made it 
famous throughout the world. Law and order 
had fled the land. Clans fought clans. 
Princes no longer respected the rights of one 
another. And the Ard-righ who had been able 
to secure unity by his authority now 
possessed no authority except that which he 
achieved by fighting. Brian had set the 
precedent which, though it resulted in the 
welfare of the island in his case, was a 



THE DANES . 61 

cause of much subsequent trouble. For he 
had taken the throne of ard-righ without 
election and without the right of heredity. 
He had swept aside all the old customs and 
old laws for the fulfillment of his purpose. 
Now his example was followed by others less 
worthy and less able. Yet Brian little 
thought that, in his anxiety to make Ireland 
a powerful nation, he would, by his ambition 
be the cause of the country's disruption. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE DISRUPTION OF THE MILESIAN 
GOVERNMENT. 

Malachy Chosen Ard-righ.— Upon the death 
of Brian Malachy was unanimously chosen as 
ard-righ. Indeed the crown rightfully 
belonged to him, both because of his lineage 
and of his worthiness. For he, the 
lawful monarch had resigned his title 1014 
to one whom he believed to be more 
capable of fulfilling the .duties of king 
and to one who, should he not have ac- 
ceded to his request, would have destroyed 
the peaceful progress of the country to gain 
the end of his ambition. He had forgotten 
his own wrongs and, for the sake of the 
preservation of his island, had hurried to the 
assistance of the usurper. And now he had 
come to his own again. For eight prosperous 
years he ruled, warding off, for a time, the 
terrible consequences of the Danish invasion 
and the result of Brian's one act of lawless- 
ness. Upon his death Ireland was bereft of 
her first patriot and her last ^^Unquestioned 
Ard-righ. ' ' \ 

The Struggle for Supremacy.— After the 
death of Malachy, Donough, the son of Brian, 

62 



THE MILE3IAN DISRUPTION 63 

attempted to secure possession of the throne, 
but he. was compelled to relinquish 
his claim. He thereupon left Ireland 1022 
to end his days in Rome, whither 
he took the ancient harp and crown of 
Tara and presented them to the pope. 
Ireland now became the scene of bitter quar- 
rels between princes and chiefs for supremacy. 
No man was willing to give precedence to an- 
other; and each chieftain considered himself 
equally if not better qualified to rule the island 
than were his neighbors ; the chivalry of the 
Milesians was now completely lost in the inter- 
course with the Danes, and simple loyalty was 
giving way to mean desire for conquest. The 
whole island was disunited and demoralized. 
St. Malachy.— In the midst of all this tur- 
moil, St. Malachy primate of Armagh, arose 
in behalf of the church and country. 
Fearing the consequences of this dis- 1132 
loyalty and dissension, he attempted 
to establish law and order. His task was 
great; for the Irish people, once so relig- 
ious and docile, had acquired a stubborn- 
ness and lawlessness foreign to their nature. 
The refinement so evident even in their pagan- 
ism and the culture which Christianity had 
given them were now submerged in the bar- 
barity of the Danes. The Church was losing 
its hold on the people, for they had no time 
to spare from their continuous quarrels for 



64 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



religious exercises. But Malachy stepped 
forth and began his efforts towards regen- 
eration. His object was to restore ecclesias- 
tical discipline which had been overthrown by 
factional differences. He went to Rome and 
petitioned Pope Innocent H. to recognize offi- 
cially the archepiscopal sees of Ireland. The 




BOYLE ABBEY. 

Founded by a Prince of Connaught in the Twelfth Century. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

pope refused to grant his request because it 
did not proceed from a synod of the Irish 
Church; and Malachy returned to his home 
w^ith honors from the pope but with a great 
disappointment in his heart, lie redoubled 
his efforts for his country ^s welfare with but 



i 



THE MILESIAN DISRUPTION 



65 



small success. Finally he succeeded in con- 
vening a synod at Innispatrick, in the 
county of Dublin, and this synod author- 1148 
ized him to return to Rome for the pur- 
pose of gaining palliums desired. Upon 
reaching Clairvaux, the home of St. Bernard, 
he became ill and soon after died there, leav- 
ing the case of Ireland in all its hopelessness 
to await another saviour. 




CELTIC CROSS. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE NORMAN INVASION. 

Rory O'Connor.— Over a century had 
elasped after the death of Malachy, during 
which time several chiefs had attempted to 
rule the island and quell the disturbance, with 
but ill success, when Roderick O'Connor, 
King of Connaught, became ard-righ. He 
was inaugurated at Dublin in 1169. He 
received hostages from many chiefs; and his 
authority was supreme, for he was just and 
liberal in his execution of the laws. Indeed, 
it seemed as if Ireland were again to witness 
the dawn of peace. 

Dermot MacMorrough.— There was one,, 
however, who soon found reason to with- 
draw his allegiance from the new ard-righ. 
Dermot MacMorrough of Leinster committed 
a most dishonorable deed and thereby incurred 
the just wrath of O'Connor, who drove 
him from the island. Exiled from his own 
country, the MacMorrough sought the court 
of the English king, Henry II., where he 
implored the aid of that monarch. The Eng- 
lishman, with an eye to futui*e contingencies, 
gave him permission to organi:2e a band of 
Anglo-Norman lords and take them as allies 

66 



THE NORMAN INVASION 67 

back to Ireland where he could wreak his 
vengeance on the ard-righ. Dermot confided 
his plan of vengeance to the Earl of Pem- 
broke, sur-named Strongbow. This man, being 
an adventurer and a bankrupt, was glad of 
the opportunity which gave such promise of 
the recovery of his fortunes, and immediately 
offered his assistance, but only on condition 
that MacMorrough would give to him in mar- 
riage, his daughter, Eva, and thus- establish 
his right as successor to the MacMorrough. 
This condition granted, the two conspirators 
proceeded to gather their following of Nor- 
man adventurers. When all preparations 
were finished Dermot MacMorrough returned 
to Ireland, and there in concealment awaited 
the arrival of his allies. 

The Anglo-Normans in Ireland.— In the 
spring of 1169, two Norman lords, Fitz- 
stephen and Prendergast, landed at Wexford 
with a large force, where they sur- 
prised the town and compelled the 1169 
inhabitants to surrender. Upon learn- 
ing of the arrival of these allies, Dermot Mac- 
Morrough sallied forth from his hiding-place 
with his clansmen and made an attack upon 
MacGillapatrick, chief of Ossory, whom he 
defeated. Ard-Righ O'Connor, upon receiv- 
ing information concerning these encounters, 
called a council of chiefs and formed a large 
army to resist the invaders. By the very 



68 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

strength of this army O'Connor could have 
commanded the complete submission of the 
Normans and the traitor MacMorrough. The 
Ard-Righ, however, to the surprise of his fol- 
lowers, proposed to negotiate with Dermot. 
With his usual guile, the MacMorrough 
accepted his proffer and a settlement was 
agreed upon, the terms of which were : that 
Dermot would be restored to his kingdom of 
Leinster, providing that he would acknowl- 
edge the supremacy of the ard-righ, and that 
he would promise to introduce no more 
strangers into Ireland. Receiving acknowl- 
edgement and promise, O'Connor then with- 
drew his army. 

Fitzgerald and Strongbow.— Deep in the 
heart of the MacMorrough lay the desire to 
wrest the throne of ard-righ from Rory 
O'Connor, and when he openly agreed to the 
terms offered him, he did so only with the 
intention of gaining time until the arrival of 
a Norman baron, named Fitzgerald, who, with 
reinforcements, was on his way from England. 
Fitzgerald landed at Wexford the following 
autumn, and joining the forces of MacMor- 
rough marched against Dublin, where the citi- 
zens had withdrawn their allegiance from 
Dermot. After a strong resistance the city 
surrendered. Meanwhile Donough 'Brien, 
King of Limerick, had risen against the ard- 
righ and thus strengthened the MacMor- 



THE NORMAN INVASION 69 

rough's chances of success. Considering the 
time ripe for dropping the mask and uncover- 
ing his perfidy and treachery, Dermot now 
proclaimed himself entitled to the throne of 
the ard-righ by virtue of his descent from 
Dermot MacMaelnembo, King of Leinster and 
at one time Ard-Righ of Ireland. In the 
meantime Strongbow had set out from Eng- 
land with a large force, but Henry II. with a 
suspicion that that worthy was aiming at 
something" greater than the title of King of 
Leinster, forbade his departure. Strongbow 
ignored the order of the king and set 
sail for Ireland, landing there in Aug- 1170 
ust, 1170. At Waterford he met and 
joined the force of Raymond Le Gros (Ray- 
mond the Fat), who had been awaiting his 
arrival in great anxiety, for, upon landing Le 
Gros had fortified his camp Dundonald, which 
was near the town, and now lay hemmed in 
by the Irish. Strongbow and Le Gros imme- 
diately laid siege to the town of Waterford 
and after two fierce attacks upon its walls, 
compelled its citizens to surrender. 

Marriage of Eva MacMorrougfh.— Just as 
Strongbow had won the victory over the 
Dano-Irish citizens of Waterford, Dermot 
MacMorrough arrived with his daughter, Eva. 
And there in the glare of the fireswept city, 
with the groans of the dying* and the cry of 
the homeless ringing in her ears Eva MacMor- 



70 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

rough was married to Strongbow; and she, 
an innocent young girl, was sacrificed in 
order that the union of traitor and interloper 
might be cemented. 

The Dublin Massacre.— Up to the arrival of 
Strongbow the ard-righ had looked upon 
Dermot's rising as little more than a traitor- 
ous attempt to make trouble among his sub- 
jects and thus avenge himself for the treat- 
ment he had received at his hands. But the 
Waterford siege gave proof of something 
more serious so, hearing of the invader's 
intention to enter Dublin, he collected his 
forces and set out to obstruct the march. The 
military tactics of the Noritian Strongbow 
were too great for the ard-righ and he was 
outwitted by the wily stranger, who eluded 
him and continued X)n his way without moles- 
tation. Reaching Dublin, Strongbow and 
MacMorrough found the city again in arms 
and prepared to resist them once more. They 
immediately laid siege to the city. Seeing it 
was useless to attempt a resistance against 
the united armies lined up without their gates, 
the citizens attempted to make negotiations 
with them, and they deputed the Archbishop, 
Lawrence 'Toole, to confer with the enemy. 
While 'Toole was treating with Strongbow 
and Dermot, 'two Normans, Raymond le Gros 
and Miles de Cogan, effected an entrance into 
the citv and in violation of the truce under 



THE NORMAN INVASION 71 

which the archbishop left his camp for that of 
the enemy, they and their soldiers killed the 
citizens in a most brutal manner. The arch- 
bishop hastily returned to. the city and 
angrily denounced the perpetrators of this 
bloody massacre. The Normans, however, 
were deaf to his denunciations and entreaties 
and continued to murder and pillage until the 
rapacious appetite of the soldiery was glutted. 
Final Efforts of Rory O'Connor.— O'Connor 
unable, with his small army, to resist the 
enemy at that time of the year, withdrew to 
Connaught, whither Strongbow and MacMor- 
rough, leaving de Cogan in command of the 
city of Dublin, followed him, laying waste the 
counties of Meath, Leitrim and Cavan on their 
way. O'Connor, seeing that he was outnum- 
bered by the forces of the enemy, now changed 
his tactics and threatened that, if Dermot and 
his allies would not submit to his authority, 
he would put to death the hostages which 
he had received from MacMorrough. Der- 
mot now fully in the power of his son-in-law 
was forced to ignore this last command of the 
ard-righ in spite of the fact that his son was 
among the hostages to be sacrificed. The 
ard-righ fulfilled his threat and the son of 
MacMorrough died as a consequence of his 
father's treachery, leaving Strongbow heir to 
the possessions of the MacMorrough. Soon 
after, Dermot himself died of a loathsome 



72 HISTORY OP IRELAND 

disease and Strongbow was left to battle for 
the claims of his father-in-law. 

Interference of Henry II.— Henry II., King 
of England, had begun to suspect that Strong- 
bow was contemplating more than friendly 
assistance to his father-in-law, and thereby 
holding the county in the name of the king. He 
knew the avaricious character of the Norman 
adventurer ; and he feared that the latter would 
end his conquest by proclaiming himself su- 
preme ruler of the island and independent of 
his king. He thereupon ordered Strongbow 
and all the Normans to return to England at 
once. Strongbow sent ambassadors to Eng- 
land, but finding them powerless to restore the 
king's faith in him, he himself went over and, 
with apparent humility, offered the results of 
his conquest to his king, who, appeased, but 
still suspicious, gave him Wexford as his share 
of the spoil and ordered him to remain there. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE CONFISCATION OF IRELAND. 

The Duplicity of Henry 11.— Henry 11. had 
long since turned an avaricious eye upon Ire- 
land, seeing in the western isle a rich field for 
conquest; but, hypocrite that he was, he pro- 
ceeded to gain the approbation of the pope 
before he took possession of the island. He 
sent embassies to Pope Adrian, setting forth 
the necessity of some pious prince taking 
possession of the island in the name of the 
Church and reforming its morals, which he 
explained, were in a bad condition. The pope, 
an Englishman, was easily persuaded of the 
piety and justice of Henry's purpose and 
gave his consent to the English king to 
reform Ireland. In 1155, Henry thereupon 
laid claim to the island in the name of Pope 
Adrian and the Church of Rome ; and from 
that day to this, England has followed the Nor- 
man king's example of hypocrisy and guile and 
holds Ireland in subjection in the name of re- 
ligion and civilization. 

Irish Homage and Its English Meaning.— 
Henry, however, did no more than claim the 
island and, not until the attempted usurpa- 
tion of his power, did he think seriously of 

to 



74 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

invading the country. But, when his suspic- 
ions were fully aroused by Strongbow's 
actions, he determined to visit the island at 
once, and set sail for Waterford in 
October, 1171. He landed at Hook, a 1171 
point not far from Waterford, and, 
with characteristic Norman display of wealth 
and power, he and his followers, of whom 
were William Fitzdelm De Burgo, Hugh De 
Lacy and Bertram De Verdon, paraded before 
the dazzled Irish, not as conquerors, but as 
friendly protectors, who came to assist them 
in their struggles with Strongbow and his 
allies. The Irish Avere not aware of the wiles 
of the Norman king; their simple natures did 
not contain the suspicious element that might 
have enabled them to fathom the intricate 
character of the feudal society which the Nor- 
man barons represented; their laws and cus- 
toms were pure and honest; and they could 
not suspect a king who, to all appearances, 
came to save them from his ravaging sub- 
jects. They paid him homage, not knowing 
that their meaning of the custom was far dif- 
ferent from the Norman and feudal accept- 
ance. They believed that they were merely 
showing a manly and princely courtesy to 
another prince by offering him their homage; 
but Henry and his barons called it the sur- 
rendering of their rights to land and country. 
He took great care, however, not to explain 



CONFISCATION OF IRELAND 7l) 

this meaning until the Irish chiefs and princes 
had offered him the courtesy. Proceeding to 
Dublin, Henry prepared a series of entertain- 
ments and feasts, with which he proposed to 
further deceive the Irish princes. Again many 
chiefs and princes paid him homage for this 
seeming kindness, the men of the north alone 
holding off from the interloper. 

Division of the Spoil.— With the peculiar 
generosity of an English prince, Henry now 
began to divide the property of the Irish 
chiefs and princes and their clans among his 
followers. Strongbow had already received 
grants of land from the king, and now he 
claimed the whole of Leinster, with the excep- 
tion of Dublin and some other sea-ports, on 
the grounds that he inherited these lands 
from Dermot MacMorrough by his marriage 
with his daughter. Henry gave him Lein- 
ster. The other barons then received their 
portion of the spoils. To Hugh De Lacy he 
gave Meath ; to De Burgo, he gave Connaught ; 
and John De Courcy was offered the land of 
the Ulster chiefs, who had proudly refused 
their homage; Miles De Cogan, another of his 
barons, he gladdened with the gift of the 
lands of Cork; De Brassa, he enriched with 
the whole of Limerick; upon Le Poer he 
bestowed Waterford; and the citizens of Bris- 
tol [a town in England], received the city of 
Dublin from the same generous hand. When 



76 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

he had thus coolly distributed the lands of the 
Irish clans among his adventurers, he ap- 
pointed governors over the towns whose citi- 
zens had given homage, and called Ireland the 
property of the king of England. 

Henry's Departure,— Henry's pious crusade 
in Ireland suddenly terminated at the ar- 
rival of the papal legate in England. This rep- 
resentative of the pope had come to inves- 
tigate the death of Thomas h Becket, whom 
Henry had caused to be murdered, because he 
had denounced him for disobedience to cer- 
tain rules of the Church; and Henry was sum- 
moned to appear before him in answer to 
the charge of murder. Henry had also 
received, at the same time, intelligence that 
his sons were plotting to dethrone him. So 
the zealous reformer of Irish morals was com- 
pelled to hasten home to England. He left Ire- 
land to the care of Hugh De Lacy and sailed 
for England on April 17th, after a stay of six 
months, during which time he placed the i'n- 
delible mark of tyranny and dishonor upon 
the island. 

The Resistance of the Irish Chiefs.— By this 
time the Irish chiefs realized their mistake in 
giving homage to the Englishman. The Nor- 
mans had begun to assert themselves masters 
of the Irish and to plunder and pillage 
wherever they willed. Although the chiefs 
had shown themselves to be simple and guile- 



COXFISCATION OF IRELAXD I / 

less in taking these strangers into their con- 
fidence, they were not the timid creatures 
that their courtesy had led the Normans to 
believe, and, as soon as they discovered the 
perfidy of Henry and his barons, the Irish 
chiefs began to drive them out of their strong- 
holds. Had these chiefs possessed a system 
of concentrated or organized warfare, the 
intruders would have been easily expelled 
from Irish soil; but their attacks were inter- 
mittent and they contented themselves with 
defensive rather than aggressive fighting. 
Finally, four years after Henry's confiscation 
of his people 's lands, Ard-Righ 'Con- 
nor, so silent during Henry's sojourn 1175 
in his island, prepared to offer resis- 
tance. Invading Meath, he drove the Nor- 
man garrisons out of the towns of Trim and 
Duleek. But just as his success was assured, 
if he but preserved, with the weakness that 
always marked his military operations, he 
returned to his Connaught home, and there 
rested as if his work were done. Soon after 
he consented to a treaty made at Windsor, by 
which he retained his own kingdom of Con- 
naught and all of Ireland, but only as vassal 
to the English king, the other Irish kings 
giving tribute, through him, to the English 
king. 

De Courcy's Portion.— In 1176 Strongbow, 
who had been appointed governor of Ireland 



78 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

three years before, died, leaving an only 
daughter, who married William Marshal and 
transferred to him her father's title to Lein- 
ster. William Fitzdelm became governor of 
Ireland. Fitzdelm opposed the system of 
plunder and spoliation which had been the 
policy of Strongbow and Henry, and he made 
an effort to stop it, so much did he oppose 
this military thieving that he was openly 
accused of being partial to the Irish. De 
Courcy, angered by the governor's gentleness 
towards the clans, set out in open defiance to 
his wishes to conquer Ulster, which Henry had 
promised him if he could wrest it from the 
northern chiefs. De Courcy' was a 
courageous man, and with all the assur- 1177 
ance of a feudal baron, thought it an 
easy matter to secure the prize. His follow- 
ing was small,— three hundred soldiers and 
twenty-two knights, but the company was well 
trained in military tactics. Taking the inhabi- 
tants of Downpatrick by surprise, he forced 
them to surrender, and then began to plunder 
and kill. The papal legate to Scotland and 
Ireland, who was in Downpatrick at the time, 
was so horrified at the brutality of the Nor- 
man that he besought him to stop the butch- 
ery and to accept tribute. But it was not the 
policy of the Norman to show mercy to the 
conquered. 
Resistance of Dunleavy.— When Dunleavy, 



CONFISCATIO:^^ OF IRELAND 79 

the chief of the territory, learned of De 
Courcy's attack upon the town, he hurried 
to the aid of the inhabitants; but his un- 
disciplined soldiers were no match for the 
troop of Normans ; and he was easily defeated. 
Dunleavy did not lose courage, but contin- 
ued to offer resistance to the invader while 
he was ravaging Ulster. Three times that 
year did he and his clansmen attack De 
Courcy, to be repulsed each time. At last, 
they trapped the Normans when the latter 
were returning from one of their raids into 
the province, and, after a hard fight, they 
routed the baron and his knights. Encour- 
aged by this success, the men of the north 
made another attack upon De Courcy 's men 
while they were returning from an expedition 
of plunder in the north of Antrim, and, in a 
sharp skirmish, they killed all but eleven of 
De Courcy 's men, who, with De Courcy, fled 
in terror. In spite of these reverses, De 
Courcy succeeded in erecting castles in Down- 
patrick and Dundrum and in fortifying those 
towns against the Ulster men's attacks. 

De Cogan in Connaught.— While De Courcy 
was endeavoring to subjugate proud Ulster, 
De Cogan was devastating Connaught, where 
he had been sent to aid Murrough O'Connor, 
son of Roderick, who had risen in rebellion 
against his father. Butchering and despoil- 
ing, sparing neither church nor chapel, man 



80 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

nor master, De Cogan cut his way to Tuam, 
leaving dismantled churches and ruined homes 
in his wake. At Tuam, he found a deserted 
town, for the news of his coming had pre- 
ceded him and the citizens had fled in terror. 
He turned back towards Athlone, near which 
town he was overtaken by Roderick O'Con- 
nor, who, upon learning of his arrival in Con- 
naught, had hastened to intercept him. There, 
on the banks of the Shannon River, the ard- 
righ at last proved the strength of his Mile- 
sian blood by defeating the Norman. 

Laurence Toole, Saint and Patriot.— In 
1179, the third Lateran council was called, and 
in answer to the summons of Pope Alex- 
ander III. several Irish bishops jour- 1179 
neyed to Rome. Before they set sail 
from England, through which country they 
had to pass on their way to the continent, 
they were compelled to take an oath not to 
act against the policy of the government. 
There is no doubt, however, but that they 
told the truth concerning the state of Ireland. 
Among this delegation was Laurence 'Toole, 
Bishop of Dublin, upon whom the pope con- 
ferred great honors, appointing him papal 
legate for Ireland. On his return St. Laur- 
ence applied himself with grpat zeal to the 
combined duties of bishop and legate. A 
descendant of the famous family of Hy-Mui- 
readaigh of South Kildare, this holy man was 



CON^FISCATIOK OF IRELAND 81 

more than a representative of Rome. He was 
an ardent patriot, and, as such spent his life 
in trying to remedy the evils which had 
befallen his country. He toiled and strug- 
gled for the interests of his people, going 
among them and relieving their miseries. 
Chosen by the ard-righ to make a treaty with 
Henry H, he went to England to interview 
that monarch, but he was refused an audience 
as far as Irish affairs were concerned, for the 
king, in a hurry to depart for France, had no 
inclination to be annoyed with the troubles of 
the Irish. Undaunted by this set-back, St. 
Laurence followed Henry to France. But, on 
his way to court, he fell ill and was 
compelled to seek refuge in the Mon- 1180 
astery of Eu, in Normandy, where he 
died. In after years, Pope Honorius, recog- 
nizing the merits of this holy man, caused him 
to be canonized. He was the last canonized 
saint of Ireland. 

Prince John in Ireland.— The Normans 
found much to admire in the Irish, and friend- 
ships were springing up between the two 
races. The barons, too, were quick to recog- 
nize the charms and virtues of the Irish maid- 
ens, and marriages resulted, thus binding Nor- 
man and Irish houses. Henry, seeing the 
danger that threatened in this turn affairs 
had taken, determined to put a stop to it. 
He had deposed Fitzdelm De Burgo because 



82 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

he was not rapacious enough for spoils, and 
did not pillage the natives. De Lacy, who 
had received De Burgo's place as governor, 
had married the daughter of Roderick O'Con- 
nor, and was beginning to be a power among 
the two classes. This marriage, which he con- 
tracted without the consent of his king, as 
well as his growing popularity with the Irish 
chiefs aroused the suspicions of Henry, and he 
too was removed from the office of governor, 
to be reinstated soon after,- with the bishop of 
Shrewsbury to watch him lest he seize the 
control of Ireland from the king. Then Henry 
sent over his son, John, to govern Ireland. 
The young prince, who was no more 
than eighteen years of age, fond of 1185 
loose living, and with no object in life 
but the pleasures of the moment, brought 
with him a number of companions of his, own 
kind, among whom was Gerald Cambrensis, 
his tutor, who afterwards wrote a most prej- 
udiced history of the Irish people. John was 
not as plausible or as politic as his father 
had been in his dealings with the Irish. With 
the haughtiness, conceit, and arrogance of 
Norman youth, he ridiculed and insulted the 
Irish chiefs who conferred with him. Nor 
did he show favor to the resident Normans, 
whom he greatly antagonized' by his manner 
towards them. With his gay court he jour- 
neyed through Ireland, ordering the erection 



CONFISCATION OF IRELAND 83 

of castles along the route, which, as soon as 
they were built and placed under guard of 
garrisons, were seized by the Irish. His pres- 
ence in Ireland, being of little use to his 
father, he was recalled after a sojourn of 
nine months, and De Courcy was appointed 
to govern the island. 

Death of the Last Ard-Righ.— Roderick 
^Connor, weary of the struggle to unite his 
clans against the encroaching Normans, sought 
rest and shelter in the calm of the monas- 
tery of Cong, in his seventieth year. There 
the old ard-righ spent twelve years of peace- 
ful life, dying in the year 1198. He had 
lacked the qualities which make a suc- 
cessful monarch and his wavering inde- 1198 
cision had lost him his kingdom; but it 
cannot be said that he was not true to his 
trust as ruler of Ireland. For, in spite of the 
obstacles which would have unnerved a more 
resolute man, he tried to do his duty toward 
his country. His death was the death of the 
last ard-righ of Ireland; and the country, now 
voiceless, without government, without ruler, 
lay prostrate awaiting a new life which, 
though it should come, would never regen- 
erate the old Milesian Inis Fail. 



CHAPTER X. 

IRELAND FROM 1198 TO 1315. 

Maenmoy.— Roderick O'Connor was suc- 
ceeded as King of Connaught by his son, 
Maenmoy. Connor Maenmoy reigned for 
three years, at the end of which, by a con- 
spiracy of the chiefs, he was dethroned. 

Cathal Crov Derg (Charles of the Red 
Hand).— Cathal Crov Derg, the brother of 
Roderick O'Connor, disputed the succession 
with Cathal Carragh, O'Connor's son. Car- 
ragh drove him into exile, but he returned, 
and, with the aid of friendly Normans, accom- 
plished his design of wrestling the 
kingdom from his nephew. Crov Derg 1201 
ruled Connaught for twenty years, but 
was compelled to give King John of England, 
two-thirds of his province, and besides, to pay 
tribute for the right to retain the remaining 
portion. He died in 1221 in a Cistercian 
abbey which he had founded. 

De Courcy's Degradation.— Like De Burgo 
and De Lacy, the ambitious De Courcy also 
became an object of the English king's sus^ 
picions. John believed that De Courcy 's 
intention was to establish in Ireland a prin- 
cipality independent of English rule. De 

84 



IRELAND FROM 1198 TO 1315 , 85 

Courcy soon gave John a cause for open hos- 
tility, by boldly declaring that the king had 
murdered Arthur, the rightful heir to the 
English throne. Thereupon John proclaimed 
De Courcy a rebel and ordered De 
Lacy to arrest him and send him back 1206 
to England. De Lacy diligently ful- 
filled this command, and De Courcy was 
imprisoned in the ToAver of London, from 
which he afterwards secured his release by 
overcoming, in a feat of arms, a French knight 
and so regaining the king's favor. But he 
did not recover his Ulster possessions, for De 
Lacy, for his loyalty, had received those, with 
the title of Earl of Ulster, both of which he 
had long coveted. 

Revenge of the 'Byrnes,— Dublin, once 
peopled by Celts, then by Danes, and again 
by Normans, now lost the greater part of its 
population by a plague. It was repopulated 
by the citizens of Bristol, who swarmed into 
the city on the grant which Henry II had 
given them. The Irish resented this new 
intrusion, especially the clans of the 'Byrnes 
and the O'Tooles, who had been driven from 
their fertile lands in Kildare to the barren 
and unproductive mountains of Wicklow. 
These two clans, on Easter Monday, 
1209, fell upon a pleasure party of 1209 
Bristol men who had gone outside the 
city of Dublin on a holiday excursion. After 



\ 



86 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

the encounter three hundred Bristol men lay 
dead on the field. 

Second Visit of John.— Secure from the 
resistance of the native Irish, the Normans 
had long since begun to quarrel among them- 
selves for the possession of the lands of the 
clans. In Leinster and in Munster, the Fitz 
Henry and the De Lacy families with other 
English families, were viciously tearing from 
each other the possessions which the English 
king had bestowed upon them. The contest 
waxed was so bitter and the country suffered 
so greatly from it, that John found it advis- 
able to leave his court and come to Ireland 
to settle the disputes of his* lords. He set 
sail in the summer of 1210, with a fleet 
of four hundred ships and a large army 1210 
and landed near Waterford. The pres- 
ence of this fleet and army frightened and 
scattered the Norman colonists. Advancing 
to Meath, John imperiously commanded the 
Irish chiefs to render him homage. Cathal 
Crov Derg and a few others tamely obeyed 
him, taking the trouble to journey to Meath 
to do so. O'Neill of Tyreoghan (Tyrone), also 
made the trip to Meath, but not to show sub- 
mission to the English king; he brought with 
him a large force, and, in departing from the 
English camp took with Him considerable 
spoil. 

Formation of the Counties.— To establish 



IRELAND FKOM 1198 TO 1315 87 

his authority, John formed a systematic 
method of governing the colonies in Ireland. 
This was the division of Leinster and Munster 
into twelve counties and the appointment of 
a sheriff over each county to administer Eng- 
lish law. De Gray, whose uncanonical ap- 
pointment to the archbishopric of Canterbury 
had resulted in the excommunication of John 
from the Church, was now made viceroy of 
Ireland. Then, satisfied with his work among 
the colonists, the king returned to his own 
country. 

Violation of a Treaty.— In 1175 Henry had 
made a treaty with Roderick O'Connor, by 
which the latter was to hold his own kingdom 
of Connaught and the whole of Ireland as 
vassal to Henry. Notwithstanding the fact 
Henry III who succeeded John as king of 
England, gave the province to William Fitz- 
delm de Burgo. On the death of Cathal Crov 
Derg, Hugh, his son, had taken possession of 
the kingdom in 1224, but, after a few years 
fraught with disputes with other claimants of 
the throne, he was treacherously killed in the 
house of a Norman lord. His younger brother, 
Felim, with the aid of De Burgo, who had an 
object in view, was inaugurated king of Con- 
naught. By degrees De Burgo began to 
secure a foothold in the province, leaving 1230 
Felim the nominal sovereignity, which 
he held after a series of victories and defeats, 



88 



mSTOKY OF IRELAND 



until his death which occurred in 1265. And 
thus the kingdom of Roderick O'Connor sank 
by degrees into the toils of the English. 

Religion.— At this time the Church suffered 
much in Ireland. Although the Normans 
were avowed Christians, they respected neither J 




RUINS OF MUCKROSS ABBEY. 
Built by the McCarthy More family. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

layman nor churchman, and, in their insatiate 
greed for gain would as unscrupulously rob 
the sanctuary as they would kill their king; 
they were abroad for sppil and because 
it was consecrated to God's use was a fact 
that did not prevent their seizing the object 
of their desire. Chalices from the tabernacle, 



IRELAND FROM 1198 TO 1315 89 

jewels from statues and cloth of gold from 
the altars were often taken from the churches ; 
and were the priest or monk brave enough to 
jattempt to protect his charge^ it was a com- 
mon practice of these desecrators to murder 
him. Yet these Norman lords, after such mis- 
spent lives, often turned to religion in their 
declining years and, in penitence, sought to 
make reparation for their sins in the quiet of 
the cloister. To these men we owe the estab- 
lishment of many famous orders of monks in 
Ireland. The Dominican order was introduced 
into Dublin in 1224; Maurice Fitzgerald 
founded the first house of the Franciscans at 
Toughal in 1226 ; and many other Normans like- 
wise aided the Church in her struggle towards 
civilization in the midst of this feudalism and 
war, which they and their ancestors had intro- 
duced into Ireland. 

Education.— Ireland had lost its prestige as 
the home of learning soon after the advent of 
the Danes; as with all countries ravaged by 
war, the education of its people was sacrificed 
for the preservation of the home and nation. 
There was no time to be spent in school when 
the country was in danger. Mere boys as 
soon as they were strong enough to handle a 
bow and arrow or to wield a sword, were sent 
out to battle; their training lay in the knowl- 
edge of self-defense. And the coming of the 
Normans did not remedy matters. The Nor- 



90 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

mans were a race of conquerors ; and to conquer 
means to fight. Some of the nobility, in fact, a 
large part of them, did not know how to write 
their own names. The Irish chiefs were no 
better equipped with knowledge in that 
respect. Nor was this condition peculiar to 
Ireland and England; all over the world, at 
that period of the world's history, an educa- 
tion was only given to those whose intention 
was to enter the Church. For this reason, we 
owe to the efforts of the Church, the progress 
of things intellectual. It was the Church that 
saved the very foundation of education, pre- 
serving it and building upon it against 
obstacles of war, pestilence, and paganism, 
until men, tiring of conquest and war, at last 
turned to higher things. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE CAMPAIGN UNDER BRUCE. 

Preparations.— Led by Robert Bruce, the 
Scotch had gaine^d their freedom from Eng- 
land while Ireland was ineffectually resisting 
the Anglo-Normans. The Irish, with confi- 
dence in the family of Bruce as leaders, 
invited Edward, brother of Robert, to come 
over and receive the crown of Ireland. At 
the same time the chiefs wrote to Pope John 
XXII., explaining their reasons for making 
war on England, which were: 

1. That the conditions laid down by Adrian 
IV. were being constantly violated by the Eng- 
lish king; 

2. That the king's representatives were 
continually plundering the property of the 
Church ; 

3. That the protection of the laws w^as 
refused the Irish,— criminals, even murderers 
of the Irish being allowed to remain unpun- 
ished ; 

4. That the Irish were refused admission 
to the monasteries which their ancestors had 
established ; 

5. That the Irish people could not be 
accused of perjury or rebellion since they had 

91 



92 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

never sworn allegiance to the king of Eng- 
land. 

Arrival of Bruce.— In May 1315 Edward 
Bruce landed at Larne with 6,000 men, where 
he was immediately joined hy the 
northern chiefs. Reinforced by the clans 1315 
en route, he marched southward, captur- 
ing the towns of Ardee and Rathmore. 

The Red Earl.— Although the king had ap- 
pointed Sir Edward Butler lord-justice of Ire- 
land, Richard de Burgo, or the ^^Red Earl,'' as 
he was familiarly called, imperiously assumed 
the authority in Irish affairs, and, treating the 
official of the king's choice with royal contempt, 
rode rough shod over his commands. When the 
Red Earl learned of the arrival of Bruce in Ire- 
land, he immediately raised a large army and 
set out from Athlone to meet the Scotchman. 
On the way he met the lord-justice, who, with 
another army was hastening from Dublin to 
obstruct the path of Bruce. De Burgo haught- 
ily advised Butler to return to Dublin, declar- 
ing that he could conquer the enemy without 
aid. Butler, however, insisted on joining his 
army with that of the ''Red Earl," and to- 
gether they marched against the Scotch-Irish 
forces. 

Battle of Ballymena.— Upon the advice of 
the chief of the O'Neill clan' Bruce retreated 
northward, cautiously drawing De Burgo and 
Butler into a territory inhospitable to them. 



THE CAMPAIGN UNDER BEUCE 93 

At Ballymena he halted and prepared for a bat- 
tle. Just before the battle began, O'Connor of 
Connaught, who had come with De Burgo from 
the west, now changed his mind and left De 
Burgo 's cause to join the Irish. With this loss 
of O'Connor's Irishmen, the haughty earl was 
forced to meet a defeat which he had promised 
to give the other side. 

Bruce Proclaimed King" of Ireland.— After 
the Battle of Ballymena, Bruce caused himself 
to be proclaimed King of Ireland. More than 
half the clans had joined his cause, and the 
Church approved of it, and, assured by his suc- 
cesses,' he began a royal detour of the island 
with all the pomp and glory of a victorious 
monarch. Arriving at Lough Seudy at Christ- 
mas time, he determined to enjoy the festivities 
of the season there and proceeded to entertain 
in royal fashion. 

Battle of Athenry.— Felim O'Connor of Con- 
naught found it necessary to return to his king- 
dom, where Rory O'Connor, his kinsman, was 
waging war with the English, and incidentally 
seizing upon his (Felim's) lands. Ridding him- 
self and the province of his belligerent kins- 
man, he again turned his attention to the Eng- 
lish. Joined by other chiefs of the west of Ire- 
land, he marched to Athenry, where William 
De Burgo, brother of the earl, and Richard 
Birmingham were stationed with a large army 
of well-trained and fully equipped men. A 



94 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

fierce battle took place, but the number and the 
military tactics of the English were too much 
for the chiefs and their clansmen, and they 
lost the battle. The brave young king of Con- 
naught, Felim O'Connor, was killed in this bat- 
tle. 

Victories of Bruce.— In the beginning of the 
year 1316, Edward Bruce, leaving Lough 
Seudy, marched southward. At Ardscoll 
he met and defeated Butler, who with a 1316 
a large army attempted to intercept him. 
Returning towards Ulster, he came upon Roger 
Mortimer with 15,000 men awaiting him at 
Kells in King's County. The English, in spite 
of their numbers, became panic stricken at the 
approach of Bruce and fled from the field. 
Bruce unfortunately had to end this campaign 
of victory on account of the bad harvest and 
the devastated condition of the country, and he 
went to Carrickfergus, where he held court 
-without interruption from the English, who 
seemed to think they had had enough of en- 
counters with the Scotchman and his Irish fol- 
lowing. 

Arrival of Robert Bruce.— In September, 
1316, Robert Bruce arrived in Ireland with re- 
inforcements for his brother. He immediately 
began operations upon Carrickfergus Castle, 
which had been occupied by a xgarrison of Eng- 
lish after their defeat at Ballymena, whom 
Edward had vainly sought to dislodge. In a 



THE CAMPAIGN UXDEH BRUCE 95 

short time Robert compelled the evacuation of 
the castle. After a comparatively quiet win- 
ter, Robert Bruce, at the head of an army of 
twenty thousand men, started south in 
the Spring of 1317. Although the Eng- 1317 
lish had gathered a large army with 
which to oppose him, they made no effort to 
attack him on his route to the south. But the 
country was devastated and the people w^ere 
suffering from famine and plague, and the Eng- 
lish would not fight. Bruce with nothing to en- 
courage him, for he had no personal interest in 
helping the Irish, and his own kingdom needed 
him, returned to Scotland in May of the same 
year. 

Death of Edward Bruce.— On account of the 
famine and plague neither the English nor the 
Scotch-Irish army were in a fit condition to 
fight until the reaping of another harvest, and 
hostilities were suspended until the fall of 1318, 
when, as soon as the harvest was gathered, war 
Avas renewed. The English army was the first 
on the field; and 12,000 men with John Bir- 
mingham at the head, moved upon Bruce be- 
fore he had time to collect his scattered army. 
Donald O'Neill and other Irish princes advised 
him to await the arrival of the national levies 
and the Scotch contingent, suggesting that he 
retire slowly to the north and thus decoy Bir- 
mingham into a hostile country. But, made 
over-confident by his former successes, Bruce 



96 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

refused to listen to O'Neill, and on the 14th of 
October, 1318, within a few miles of Dundalk, 
with but 2,000 men he met the English army. 
Knowing the victory of the battle to depend 
upon the death of Bruce, an English knight, 
named Maupas, singled out the leader from the 
other captains, and, making his way through 
the ranks, killed him. Before the daring Eng- 
lishman could escape, however, the infuriated 
Scots fell upon him, and, cutting him to pieces, 
avenged the death of Edward Bruce. Their 
leader dead, and with an enemy of six times 
their number, the discouraged Scots fled in dis- 
may, leaving the victory to the English. 

Effect of Bruce 's Campaign.— This* ended the 
reign of Bruce over Ireland. The Irish were 
not sorry, for he had laid waste their lands and 
made such havoc in the country that they had 
begun to look upon his presence among them 
with fear for the consequence of their invita- 
tion to him to take the crown. Nothing had 
been gained and a great deal had been lost. 



CHAPTER XIL 

NORMAN-IRELAND. 

The Pale.— Although the English laid claim 
to the whole of Ireland for many centuries, 
they succeeded in ruling only a small portion 
of it. This portion was inhabited by English 
colonists, and was called the Pale. The Pale 
was not of a fixed or permanent size, but varied 
according to the strength of English dominion. 
When the power of England was great in Ire- 
land the Pale increased proportionately, but 
when feuds arose between the colonists or when 
the king's attention was withdrawn from Irish 
affairs the clans took advantage of the oppor- 
tunity and re-captured their lands, thus mak- 
ing inroads on the Pale and narrowing its 
boundaries. The residents of the Pale paid an 
annual tax, called the Black Rent or Black 
Mail, to the Irish chiefs whose domains were 
bordering their lands. These bordering lands 
were called Marches, and the laws of the Pale 
did not extend to them, for colonists who vio- 
lated the rights of those without the Pale were 
not punished when the victims were *'mere 
Irishmen." This code of justice encouraged 
the natural tendency of the Norman settlers to 
tyrannize over the natives. 

97 



98 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Nonnan-Irish.— In spite of the laws of the 
Pale, the effrontry of the Normans, their fer- 
ocity and their spirit of conquest, feudalism 
could not flourish in Ireland. The Celts, op- 
pressed, starved and driven into the barren 
fastnesses of the mountains, instead of chang- 
ing their manners for those of the stronger race 
and losing their identity in the impetuous 
sweep of Normanism, attracted the proud and 
aggressive barons to such an extent that they 
adopted the customs of the clans and gradu- 
ally became Irish in sympathy, practice and 
fact. They gave out their children to Irish 
chiefs for fosterage, they learned the language 
of the Celts and spoke it, they intermarried 
with the Irish, in short, they became, as the new 
colonists, who were constantly coming over in- 
to Ireland declared, ^^more Irish than the Irish 
themselves." This gradual fusion of Norman 
life with theirs was bearing fruit in the shape 
of a new strength among the Irish. Although 
the chiefs still fought with each other and the 
Norman lords fought with the Irish when not 
quarreling among themselves there was an un- 
dertone of unity growing into a decided note 
of resistance to the English government that 
threatened greatly the power of England. 

The Palatinates.— Edward III., who was now 
on the throne of England, saw' that to hold Ire- 
land in possession, he must bring diplomacy 
to bear on the question, and formed the coun- 



NORMAN-IRELAND 99 

ties of Tipperary and Kerry into palatinates, 
giving Tipperary to James Butler, 
Earl of Ormond, and Kerry to Maurice 1328 
Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond. These two 
men were called Earls Palatine, and their 
authority was nearly equal to that of the king 
himself; the king's officer could not execute 
any law in their districts ; the earls could wage 
war or make peace as they willed; they could 
knight men, establish courts of justice, appoint 
judges and sheriffs, and rule their districts 
as they thought proper. In giving such power 
to these two men, the king aimed to strengthen 
his own authority in Ireland ; for Butler and 
Fitzgerald were heads of two influential fac- 
tions among the Norman-Irish. The result, 
however, was far different from that which the 
king had expected when he conceived this idea, 
Fitzgerald became independent and refused to 
recognize any authority but his own. When 
the king's officers summoned him to par- 
liament in the name of the king, he re- 1331 
fused to comply, and when the new col- 
onists received favors beyond those granted 
the old or at the expense of the latter, he im- 
mediately took means to avenge thera. To make 
an example of him, the lord-justice finally 
had him arrested with some other rebellious 
barons and imprisoned in Dublin castle. 

Trouble in Connaught.— The Bourkes of Con- 
naught, a branch of the De Burgo family, had 

L.ofC, 



100 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

identified themselves with the clansmen of the 
province, adopting Irish titles as well as Irish 
dress and language. Sir William Bourke as- 
sumed the title Mac William Oughter (Upper) 
and his younger brother became MacWilliam 
Eigter (Lower). In 1333 William, Earl of Ul- 
ster and Lord of Connaught, the grandson of 
the ^*Red Earl,'' was killed in a family feud, 
and his wife, Maud, fled to England with her 
only child, a daughter, named Elizabeth. Her 
kinsmen, fearing that she would bestow her 
hand in marriage or that of her daughter, upon 
a stranger, and thus take away from the 
De Burgo family their Connaught possessions, 
seized upon the lands and divided them among 
themselves. As they had feared, Elizabeth was 
married to an Englishman, Lionel, third son of 
Edward III., who became by that marriage, 
Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connaught. But 
his titles were merely nominal, for he could not 
wrest the lands from the kinsmen of his wife. 
This was followed by other seizures. The Irish 
captured Bunratty, Athlone and Roscommon 
Castles in the west. The clans of Leinster, too, 
seized lands and strongholds from the colon- 
ists, and compelled them to pay Black Rent 
for protection from other raids. 

The Black Death.— The whole of Europe had 
suffered from a plague, which, sweeping across 
the continent from the East, wiped out millions 
of human beings in its course. In those days 



NORMAN-IRELAND 101 

the art of healing was founded more on super- 
stition than upon science and for this reason 
the death-dealing germ spread unchecked over 
the land. Even Ireland, cut off though it was 
from the mainland, fell victim to the pestilence. 
A sailor, probably, or a pilgrim, carried the 
germ to Dublin, where the disease first ap- 
peared. It quickly spread throughout the 
island, leaving towns and villages without a 
single inhabitant in its wake. The dying were 
left unshriven, and the dead unburied, for the 
priests, who performed their duty bravely, 
were rapidly lessened by exposure to the dan- 
gers of contagion ; and the land was one vast 
charnel house when the plague disappeared as 
suddenly and as mysteriously as it had come, 
leaving the survivors in the misery of their 
loss and destitution. 

The Parliament of Kilkenny.— In 1361 Ed- 
ward sent Lionel, the husband of Elizabeth De 
Burgo over to Ireland to re-establish his author- 
ity among the colonists. Lionel came with hos- 
tile feelings both towards the Irish 
and the colonists. He was glad, how- 1361 
ever, to conciliate the latter when he 
found himself bitterly opposed and harassed 
by the native Irish. In 1367 he convened a 
parliament at Kilkenny, where, to discourage 
the fusion of the two races, several laws were 
enacted which forbade ; 



102 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

1. The intermarriage of the English and the 

Irish, 

2. The assumption of the Irish dress by Eng- 

lish colonists, 

3. The adoption of the Irish language by 

Englishmen, 

4. The custom of fosterage between Irish 

and English, 

5. The appointment of Irishmen to church 

beneficiaries or the reception of Irish 
into religious houses of the English, 

6. The entertainment of Irish bards, rhym- 

ers, etc., by Englishmen, 

7. The waging of war upon the Irish by the 

colonists without the ' consent of the 

government. 
These laws comprised the STATUTE 
OF KILKENNY. Intermarriage and 1367 
fosterage were pronounced high treason. 

Effect of the Statute of Kilkenny.— The 
effect of this statute upon the Irish was serious. 
The native Irish perceived the object of Lionel, 
and they realized that these laws would ulti- 
mately result in the extermination of the Irish 
race. Many chiefs put aside their feuds and 
united once more against the English enemy. 
They attacked the English garrison in various 
parts of the country and had they been more 
united, they would have succeeded in clearing 
the Island of the English colonists. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE RESISTANCE OF ART MACMOR- 

ROUGII. 

His Acquisitions.— In the latter part of the 
14th century there arose to prominence a Celt 
of royal descent, Art MacMorrongh, who was 
soon to retrieve the disgrace which had befallen 
his clan through the treachery of his ancestor, 
Diarmuid, King of Leinster. At an early age 
Art showed qualities that distinguished him in 
after years. Courageous, generous and hos- 
pitable, with a pronounced skill at arms and a 
broad knowledge of other things, he won the 
hearts of the clan MacMorrough, and, in the 
year 1375, before he was of age, he was 
elected successor to his father as chief of 1375 
the clan. He inherited a large part of his 
ancestral territory from his father, whose 
power had at one time become so threatening 
to English interests that every colonist of Ire- 
land was assessed to pay a tax that the officers 
of the Pale might be enabled to make war upon 
him alone; and to these possessions he now 
added the barony of Norragh, which he ac- 
quired through his marriage with Elizabeth, 
heiress of Norragh. This was high treason 
according to the Statute of Kilkenny; but Art 

103 



104 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

MacMorrough, chief of his clan and prince of 
Leinster by the Brehon Law, ignoring the laws 
of Lionel and the English king, assumed posses- 
sion of lands and wife in the manner befitting 
a prince. When the English officers attempted 
to assert their authority over him, he made war 
upon the colonists and captured several castles 
over which he placed the flag of the MacMor- 
rough to wave in proud disdain of English rule. 

Tiscoffin and New Ross.— In 1392, James, 
third Earl of Ormond, defeated MacMorrough 
at Tiscoffin, leaving six hundred clansmen 
dead in the field. This defeat did not 1392 
greatly disturb the MacMorrough, al- 
though it checked his onslaughts for a while. 
He retaliated by capturing New Ross, a town 
second only to Dublin in military importance, 
on the very eve of the arrival of Richard IL, 
who had come from England to overwhelm 
him. 

Arrival of Richard II.— The conceited young 
king of England had been recently wounded in 
pride by the refusal of Germany to elect him 
emperor, and he sought to comfort himself in a 
magnificent display and a conquest in Ire- 
land. With royally gorgeous train and 1394 
34,000 soldiers, an army big tnough to 
wipe all Ireland out of existence, Richard 
landed at Waterford early in October, 1394. 
He began immediately to exhibit his sover- 
eignty and his puissance to the Irish chiefs. 



RESISTANCE OF ]\rACMORROUGH 105 

Some of the chiefs, dazzled by his vain show, 
paid him homage, but not as they had paid 
homage to Henry II. ; this time they retained 
possession of their lands, in spite of flattery and 
guile. Art MacMorrough, however, was not 
among their number. He refused to acknowl- 
edge an English court in Ireland, and laughed 
at Richard's splendor and his parade of power. 
Richard imperiously sent his marshal to treat 
with the MacMorrough, but the prince of Lein- 
ster proudly -refused to discuss state matters 
with an inferior and demanded that the king 
interview him in person. Greatly incensed at 
the daring chief's manner in receiving his rep- 
resentative, Richard prepared to march against 
him. But the army of the English king, in 
spite of its numbers, was no match for the in- 
trepid Art, his valorous clansmen and the loyal 
people of Leinster. The prince of Leinster, with 
his prowess and military skill, soon taught Rich- 
ard that, not always in vastness lies strength. 
Winter was approaching, and the Clan Mac- 
Morrough had taken all visible supplies, leav- 
ing none for the English; besides, the Irish 
were reducing the royal army by night attacks 
and ambuscades. And Richard found it pru- 
dent to postpone engagement with the clans- 
m.en. Instead of conquering the defiant chief, 
he ordered a march to Dublin, where he polit- 
ically invited Art to meet him. When Art ac- 
cepted this invitation some few months after- 



106 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ward and went to Dublin, Richard ordered his 
arrest, but, deeming diplomacy to be better than 
force, he released him, holding as hostages his 
companions O'Bryne, O'More and 'Nolan. 
Peace was made and MacMorrough was given 
the right to collect Black Rent from colonists 
who had previously tried to withhold it from 
him. 

Richard's Departure.— Richard remained 
nine months in Ireland, during which 
time he achieved nothing, but satisfied his 
vanity as much as he could by vain pomp and 
brilliant show. He patronizingly knighted some 
Irish chiefs, who, protesting that they were 
already knighted under their, own Brehon laws, 
gave negative submission to the ceremony. As 
A. M. Sullivan, the historian, quotes from the 
old ballad, ''He marched up the hill and then 
marched down again," and satisfied with him- 
self he returned to his English court, leaving 
Roger Mortimer in charge of the government 
of Ireland. 

Renewed Hostilities.— Not long after his 
release, an attempt to murder Art MacMor- 
rough was frustrated by the coolness of his 
bard and the prowess of that chief. A lord of 
the Pale invited the MacMorrough to a banquet, 
who, as was customary, was accompanied by 
his bard. During the progress of the meal the 
bard discovered that a plot was on foot to kill 
his chief, and to inform Art without arousing 



RESISTANCE OF MACMOEROUGH 107 

the suspicion of the others, he took up his harp, 
and, playing an old Milesian air, sang a warn- 
ing in Gaelic. His chief, who alone understood 
the words of the bard, caught the meaning of 
the song, but remained calm and watchful until 
an opportunity was given him to go out into 
the castle yard. Once there, with the agility 
and daring that always marked him, the Mac- 
Morrough sprang to horse, and, cutting his way 
through his treacherous enemies, made a dash 
for freedom. This, with other base attempts to 
rid the English of the indomitable prince of 
Leinster, resulted in rousing him to action once 
more. Raiding, burning and killing, he pun- 
ished the English for their treachery towards 
him. The deputy attempted to stop the wild 
career of Art, and a battle occurred near Kil- 
kenny in which the deputy was killed and the 
Irish were victorious. News of the victory 
reached England; and Richard hastened 
to return to Ireland with the avowed in- 1397 
tention of teaching MacMorrough a bitter 
lesson of obedience to English law. He landed 
at Waterford, and, with as great an army as he 
had brought before, advanced against the Mac- 
Morrough. 

MacMorrough 's Conference with Gloucester. 
—Advised by his chiefs Art consented to send 
a messenger to the king, offering to treat with 
him. In reply the king authorized the Duke of 
Gloucester to parley with him. In his message 



108 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

delivered by Gloucester, the king offered cas- 
tles and towns to MacMorrough if that chief 
would but submit, but Art angrily declared 
that ''not for all the gold in the world" would 
he yield and that he would continue to wage 
war upon and ravage the English and their 
king as long as he would be able. Richard 
swore and fumed and threatened destruction to 
the MacMorrough and his clan; but he made 
no attempt to engage him in battle at once. In- 
stead he went to Dublin to await the arrival of 
reinforcements. 

Attempt to Capture MacMorrough.— Upon 
the arrival of the reinforcements, Richard di- 
vided his army and sent it in 'three divisions 
to capture the chief of the MacMorrough, offer- 
ing a large reward in gold for the taking of his 
person, alive or dead. But Art was not cap- 
tured, for news of an insurrection in England 
compelled the king to abandon his project and 
return to England to subdue his own sub- 
jects. Collecting his scattered troops and 1399 
appointing Sir John Stanley lord-lieuten- 
ant, he once more departed from Ireland with- 
out the glory of conquering the insubordinate 
Art. 

Last Campaigns of MacMorrough.— Not un- 
til 1405 did the MacMorrough resume 
operations against the Englislh, leaving 1405 
them in comparative peace until that year, 
when he raided Wexford, Carlow and Cas- 



RESISTANCE OF MACMORROUGH 109 

tledermot. Two years later the colonists united 
against him and under the command of the 
Earls of Ormond and Desmond met him at Cal- 
lan, where they engaged in a fierce battle. Mac- 
Morrough lost the battle, and desisted from 
more hostile attacks until 1413, when again he 
raided Wexford, taking hostages. How 
long this fearless and irrepressible prince 1413 
of the Celts would have continued his dep- 
radations upon the English and with what suc- 
cess he would have been eventually crowned 
was never to be known, for he was cowardly 
poisoned by his enemies, who could not 
vanquish or kill him in honest battle. His 1417 
chief brehon, O'Doran, having partaken 
of the same drink which they had received from 
a woman by the wayside, died with the chival- 
rous champion of Ireland. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE TROUBLES OF THE COLONISTS. 

Sir John Talbot and His Army.— The Pale 
was so greatly menaced by the Irish, who were 
gradually narrowing its boundaries, that the 
king was compelled to send his able general, 
Sir John Talbot, over to Ireland as lord-lieu- 
tenant. Instead of mitigating the sufferings of 
the colonists, Talbot aggravated them by forc- 
ing the people to support his large army, allow- 
ing the soldiers to quarter them'selves and their 
horses upon the colonists and refusing to pun- 
ish them when they plundered and pillaged 
those whom they were sent to protect. This 
method of clothing and feeding an army at the 
expense of an unwilling populace resulted in a 
resistance on the part of the latter. Seeing the 
turn affairs had taken, Henry lY., who was now 
king of England, recalled the army. Deprived 
of this protection with all its disadvantages, 
the colonists were again face to face with the 
other trouble. They fell prey once more to the 
native Irish, whose struggle for their lands was 
renewed at the departure of the overwhelming 
army of Talbot. They finally 'purchased relief 
by paying the Black Rent. 

The Butlers and Geraldines.— About this time 

110 



TEOUBLES OF THE COLONISTS , 111 

the two principal families of the Pale, the But- 
lers and the Geraldines, were engaged in a 
most bitter feud, and many a skirmish took 
place, resulting in the loss of various members 
of both houses. The king tried to patch the 
peace between them but without success, and 
the quarrel continued for several years much to 
the detriment of the interests of the Pale. 

The Duke of York.— In 1449 the Duke of 
York, a descendant of Lionel and Elizabeth 'De 
Burgo, was appointed lord-lieutenant of Ire- 
land. This man did his best to alleviate the 
sufferings of both the colonists and the 
native Irish. He convened two parlia- 1449 
ments, one at Dublin in October, 1449, and 1450 
the other at Drogheda in 1450. In these 
parliaments he caused the enactment of laws 
for the peace, order and good of the country. 
In return for this attempt at fairness on the 
part of the duke, the native Irish showed char- 
acteristic appreciation by providing his house- 
hold with an abundance of provisions during 
his stay in Ireland. 

Ireland During the War of the Roses.— The 
Duke of York returned to England in 1454 in 
order to protect his interests, which were 
threatened by the House of Lancaster. The 
Pale, left without his wise and diplomatic 
guidance, suffered greatly. The native Irish, 
aware that the colonists were weakened by the 
feuds' of the Geraldines and the Butlers, made 



112 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

incessant attacks upon them and were bit by bit 
regaining their ancestral possessions, thus re- 
ducing the Pale. Nor could England senci 
them aid, for England was in the throes of dis- 
ruption. The time was ripe for the extirpation 
of the foreigners; the dissensions of the lords 
of the Pale and the disorganization of the gov- 
ernment gave ample opportunity to the clans 
of Ireland to tear from the English grasp the 
island of their ancestors; yet they were too 
listless or too intent upon personal quarrels to 
rid themselves of the English invader. How- 
ever, the Irish chiefs were not to be blamed, 
for at that time all European civilization was 
passing through the same state of disorgani- 
zation. This was a period of transition from 
one state of society to another and Ireland, with 
all the rest, had to suffer. 

Official Changes.— In return for his services 
to the House of York, Thomas, Earl of Des- 
mond, was appointed lord-deputy of Ireland, 
but he incurred the anger of the queen by 
speaking ill of her and was deposed. In his 
place, Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, became dep- 
uty. On account of his cruelty this man 
gained the soubriquet of ^'Butcher.'' Be- 1467 
sides many other atrocities which he com- 
mitted, he caused Desmond and his two chil- 
dren to be put to death. He was recalled and 
the Earl of Kildare appointed in his place. Kil- 
dare organized the Brotherhood of St. George 



TROUBLES OF THE COLONISTS 113 

to serve the purpose of an army and protect 
the interests of the Pale. It consisted of 
thirteen responsible men who met once 1472 
a year in Dublin and chose a captain, 
whom they placed in command of a company 
of two hundred men. To support this organiza- 
tion, a tax was levied upon all merchandise 
sold in Ireland. In 1485 the House of Lancaster 
won the throne from the House of York and 
Henry VII. of Lancaster became king. For a 
while he did not make any political changes in 
the government of Ireland, leaving the Ger- 
aldines and other York adherents in office. But 
loyalty to the House of York did not wane 
among the Geraldines and Henry was obliged 
to place Englishmen in charge of affairs in the 
colony. He appointed Sir Edward Poynings as 
deputy, the Bishop of Bangor as chancellor, and 
twelve other Englishmen as judges. 

Poynings 's Act.— In 1495 the new deputy 
convened a parliament in which the 
famous Poynings 's Act was passed. By 1495 
this act the Anglo-Irish were deprived of 
any power which they had heretofore pos- 
sessed. No parliament could be convened in 
Ireland until all the acts to be proposed therein 
were submitted to the king and the parliament 
of England, and approved by both ; and all laws 
of England, recently passed, were to be obeyed 
in Ireland. The act also confirmed the Statute 
of Kilkenny. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE GERALDINES. 

Their Influence.— The ruling power of Ire- 
land at this time lay in the family of the Fitz- 
geralds, or the Geraldines. This family had 
for many years been the source of much trouble 
to the kings of England. Each monarch had 
found it prudent to place a Geraldine in con- 
trol of the island, for, had he not done so, the 
Geraldine would have controlled without his 
consent. Not only were thesje men a power 
among the colonists, but they also were leagued 
with the clans outside the Pale. They had in- 
termarried with the native Irish and had be- 
come thoroughly Gaelic. It was this famous 
family, by nature, rulers, that now began a re- 
volt that was to continue, in the name of jus- 
tice first, then religion and always nationality, 
through the centuries that followed. 

The Rebellion of Silken Thomas.— The Earl 
of Kildare, a Geraldine, was deputy of Ireland 
when Henry VIII. became king of England. 
Kildare soon after died and his son, Garrett 
Oge, took his place. Garrett Oge was related 
to many Irish chiefs and wasvproudly and os- 
tentatiously an Irishman. Seemingly loyal and 
a favorite of the king, he received many privi- 

114 



THE GERALDINES 115 

leges from him, for which reason he was the 
object of great envy on the part of the other 
courtiers. These men soon found occa- 
sion to impeach him for disloyalty to 1520 
the king. At the instigation of his rival, 
Ormond, who had gained the influence of Car- 
dinal Wolsey of the English court, he was ar- 
rested and placed in the Tower of London. 
Kildare succeeded in disproving the charges of 
his enemies and gaining freedom, to be later 
reinstated in his office as deputy. But accusa- 
tions were continually being sent to Henry un- 
til again he was summoned to England. 
When he departed from Ireland, he ap- 1533 
pointed his son, Thomas, deputy in his 
place. Lord Thomas, known as Silken Thomas 
for the richness and extravagance of his ap- 
parel, was an impetuous youth of twenty-one 
years, possessed of all the daring of the Gerald- 
ine family. To incite Thomas to rebellion and 
thus confirm their charges against his father, 
the enemies of Kildare by means of forged let- 
ters deceived the son into believing that his 
father had been unjustly murdered by the Eng- 
lish king. The ruse had its effect. Lord 
Thomas immediately gathered his retainers 
and hastened to the council chamber at 
St. Mary's where the members were 1534 
awaiting his presence. Consumed with 
anger at such a traitorous act of the king, the 
young vice-dep;ity strode into the council- 



116 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

chamber and, denouncing* Henry with all the 
scorn he could command, threw down his sword 
of office, and renounced his allegiance to the 
king of England. Now that he had proclaimed 
war upon the government, the first act of 
Silken Thomas was to proceed to Dublin and 
order the surrender of that town. Dublin was 
at that time stricken with the plague, and the 
citizens made no resistance, in their despair 
caring little what happened the city. Thomas 
next attempted to take the castle of Dublin, 
but his following was too small and the castle 
too well fortified, and he was compelled to give 
up the attempt. 

Growth of the Revolt.— A full-grown revolt 
had now resulted from the rising of Thomas. 
Friends of the Geraldine and opponents of the 
government, both Norman and Irish, flocked 
to the standard of Silken Thomas. Messen- 
gers were sent to the pope and to Charles V. of 
the Empire, advising them of the war against 
Henry and asking aid, which, however, did not 
arrive ; and Thomas continued the war alone. 
The Butlers, the old enemies of his family, also 
refused to join him, and for this reason he laid 
waste their lands. 

Death of Silken Thomas.— After a series of 
depredations on the Pale, Lord Thomas re- 
turned to Dublin where he fotind the citizens 
prepared to resist him. Unable to take the city, 
he returned to ravage the lands of the Pale. A 



THE GERALDIXES . 117 

newly appointed deputy came over from Eng- 
land, bringing with him a large force of 
men with which to quell the rebellion. 1535 
Hastening to Maynooth, the stronghold 
of the Geraldines, he attacked that an- 
cient castle. He had brought from England a 
number of pieces of artillery, w^hich were the 
fi]*st ever used in Ireland, and by this new" and 
unlooked for means, he compelled the surren- 
der of the castle. When the soldiers marched 
out, they w^ere all executed with the exception 
of Silken Thomas, who had stipulated in the 
terms of surrender, that his life should be 
spared. The Geraldine was sent to the Tower 
of London, w^here, in spite of the conditions 
of surrender, he was taken to Tyburn 
w4th his five uncles, and there executed. 1537 
Attempt to Exterminate the Geraldines.— 
The old Earl ef Kildare had died in the Tower 
of London r.oon after the rising of Silken 
Thomas, five uncles had been killed with his son. 
Lord Thomas, and other members of the fam- 
ily slain in battle. The object of Henry VIIL 
in this wholesale murder of the Geraldines was 
the extermination of the race which so surely 
threatened the destruction of English power in 
Ireland. He would have succeeded in this sav- 
age attempt, had not the tutor of the last Ger- 
aldine placed his charge, a boy of twelve years, 
in the family of his sister, the wife of O'Connor 
Faly. This boy became the object of much care 



118 



HISTOEY OF IRELAND 



among the loyal clansmen and allies of the Ger- 
aldines. A confederation of chiefs, among 
whom were the 'Neill, the 'Donnell, 'Brien, 
the Earl of Desmond, the chiefs of Breffni and 
Moylurg, was formed to protect and educate 
this surviving member of the once powerful 
family. They finally sent him to Rome where a 
cardinal took him under his protection and 
educated him. 




MAYNOOTH COLLEGE. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures'*. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE BEGINNING OF RELIGIOUS PERSE- 
CUTIONS. 

Catholic Ireland Against Protestant Eng- 
land. — Something more than resentment 
against an encroaching race incited the Irish 
to resist anew the oppression of the foreigners. 
Religion, the preserving element of Celtic life, 
now became the predominant cause for another 
blow for freedom. Henry VIIL, finding that 
Rome would not consent to his importunities 
for its approval of his licentiousness by grant- 
ing him a divorce, had thrown off his allegi- 
ance to the pope and, by his own decree, be- 
come the head of the English church. He then 
sought to eradicate the accusing religion from 
Ireland. It was quite natural that a race which 
resisted the intrusion of a new government 
would not tolerate the importation of a new re- 
ligion, a religion manufactured to suit the im- 
moral purposes of a king. The one tie which 
might have bound Ireland to England was sev- 
ered with the same stroke which cut off the 
latter country from Rome ; and what might 
have been the motive for union now became 
the cause of disunion. One great result of the 
new trouble was the binding of Norman to Celt 

119 



120 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

by the title of their common religion, for it was 
now Irish and Catholic against English and 
Protestant. 

Parliament Convened.— Henry appointed an 
apostate monk, name Brown, as archbishop of 
Dublin, commanding him to establish the new 
religion in Ireland. Brown failed to beguile 
or force the Irish into acceptance of Henry's 
religion; and he called upon his king to aid 
him. A parliament was convened, the 
members of which came in pairs from 1536 
each diocese. These men opposed all pro- 
posed acts forbidding Catholics to acknow- 
ledge the supremacy of the pope, and for this 
reason lost their vote. Henry's creatures 
were then called upon to pass the acts, the vio- 
lation of which was declared to be high treason. 

Object of Henry's Reformation.— It soon be- 
came apparent that the true object of Henry's 
so-called reformation of Ireland was the spoil 
which would result from his war upon the 
Catholics. The Church was rich in lands and 
other possessions besides things spiritual. Hen- 
ry, though willing to do without the spiritual 
necessities, did not intend to allow the tem- 
poral possessions of the Church to pass away 
from him; and, by the way of propagating 
the new religion, he and his proselytes confis- 
cated the choice lands of the monks and nuns, 
robbing sanctuaries and stripping convents and 
monasteries of their valuables, while pretending 



RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIONS 121 

that he was only destroying articles of Catholic 
veneration. Among the relics destroyed by the 
apostate followers of this avaricious prince 
were those of SS. Patrick, Brigid and Columba. 

Resistance of O'Donnell and 0*Neill.— Lord 
Grey was appointed lord-justice of Ireland, and 
immediately began to ravage the country, 
burning and spoiling as he marched on 
to Armagh. The two northern chiefs 1538 
of the Geraldine League, which had been 
formed for the purpose of supporting the inter- 
ests of that family, O'Neill and O'Donnell, re- 
turned the compliment of his visit to the north 
by raiding the Pale and laying waste the lands 
of Henry's adherents. Grey again directed 
his troops to the north, overtaking the O'Neill 
and the O'Donnell at Bellahoe, where he de- 
feated them in battle. 

Treason of the Chiefs.— The Irish chiefs were 
not in a condition to offer much resistance to 
Henry; and some of them, weary with strug- 
gling against great odds, began to sub- 
mit. In 1540 St. Leger, who succeeded 1540 
Grey as lord-justice, in a wily manner, 
gained the submission of a number. These 
chiefs, forswearing their religion and their 
allegiance to their clansmen, acknowledged 
Henry as King of Ireland and head of the 
Church. For this they received titles and pat- 
ents to lands which were their own and their 
elans' possessions by right of inheritance, 



122 HISTOKY OF IRELAND 

lands which neither these apostate chiefs nor 
the English could lawfully and justly claim, for 
they were the lands of the people. 

The Rising* of 1546.— In 1546 a junior branch 
of the Geraldine family in Kildare took up 
arms against the government; but the lord- 
justice succeeded in quelling the incip- 
ient insurrection. A large tract of 1546 
country was devastated, and nothing 
was gained. O'Connor and O'More were de- 
clared traitors for leading the revolt and 
were punished accordingly. 

Persecution of the Irish Chiefs. —For twelve 
years following the death of Henry VIII., 
which occurred in 1547, Ireland suffered grad- 
ual degradation. For awhile Queen Mary, who 
was a Catholic, ruled England, and gave respite 
to the sufferings of the Catholics in both coun- 
tries. But the war of extermination had not 
ceased, and although Mary would have been 
merciful, her council overruled her attempts 
to alleviate the troubles of the Irish. The 
tribes of Leix and Offaly were driven from 
their territory, and the O'Connors, 0']\Iores, 
O'Carrolls, O'Molloys and other clans were 
heartlessly hunted down. Fighting fiercely and 
disputing every inch of ground, they were for- 
ced to retreat to North Kerry, leaving .^^^ 
their lands to be divided by the govern- 
ment into two counties, King's County 
and Queen's County. 



RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIONS 123 

Penal Laws of Elizabeth.— Upon the death of 
Mary, her Protestant sister, Elizabeth, became 
queen of England. Elizabeth was a good states- 
man, and her remarkable rulership did much 
towards the progress of England; but she was 
cruel, avaricious, cunning and wicked, and 
vented her animosity particularly on the Irish. 
English historians gave her sister Mary the 
title '^Bloody Mary,'' and they praise the good- 
ness of ^ ' Queen Bess, ' ' but Mary had not 
caused the enactment of laws to equal those of 
her Protestant sister in cruelty and in- 
justice. In 1560 Ireland fell victim to her 1560 
bigotry. She began her persecutions by 
convening a parliament at Dublin, the mem- 
bers of which were Protestant and loyalists, 
and had the laws of Henry VIII. which con- 
cerned religion, each and everyone re-enacted. 

Proclamation Against Priests.— The Earl of 
Sussex, who had been lord-lieutenant during 
Mary's reign and had retained the office under 
Elizabeth by changing his religious and polit- 
ical opinions, issued a proclamation forbidding 
all priests, secular and regular, to officiate or 
reside in Dublin. 

Attendance at Protestant Service. — Under 
penalty of a fine, every person was compelled 
to attend Protestant service, to listen to ser- 
mons preached in a language that was foreign 
to most of the people of Ireland, for at this 
time the Irish still spoke their own language 



124 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

and as the Norman-Irish had adopted it cen- 
turies before, their descendants were as un- 
familiar with the English language as were the 
Celts. How the people were to hear the word 
of God under these circumstances was not a 
matter of much concern to Elizabeth; all she^ 
desired was infidelity to the Catholic religion. 
The Revolt of Shaun O'Neill.— Shaun O'Neill, 
called John the Proud, was a son of a chief who 
had sold his birthright for the mess of pottage 
doled out to him by an English king. His 
father had been knighted Earl of Tyreoghan 
(Tyrone) for his submission to Henry. Before 
his death, this earl had given the right of suc- 
cession to Perdoragh, an illegitimate son. 
Shaun, however, at his father's death, took the 
Irish title. The 'Neill, by authorit}^ of the old 
Brehon Law. Ferdoragh at that time made 
war upon Shaun with the English government 
to aid him ; but Shaun soon procured the death 
of Ferdoragh and seized the territory of the 
O'Neill clan, and declared hostility to the Eng- 
lish crown. The Earl of Sussex, upon 
hearing of this, invaded Ulster with a 1561 
large army. At Armagh he came upon 
Shaun and his clansmen and a battle ensued. 
Although O'Neill's men were few compared to 
the great army of the lord-lieutenant, the vic- 
tory was easily theirs, and O'Neill swept down 
upon Leinster, devastating and terrorizing the 
Pale in return for Sussex's attempt to subdue 



RELIGIOUS TERSECUTIOXS , 125 

him. Unable to cope in a fair battle with this 
brave Irish chief, Sussex now attempted to rid 
the government of his dangerous presence by 
assassination, but the plot failed, and Shaun 
continued his depredations on the English. 
Finally the government made overtures of 
peace to him and he went over to England 
where he presented his claims in person to 
Elizabeth. Elizabeth, with great diplomacy, 
and probably admiration for this wild chief of 
the north, authorized him to hold his lands in 
peace. 

Second Revolt of O'Neill.— Shaun soon again 
took up arms, this time against some of the Ul- 
ster chiefs who aroused his indignation by their 
submission to the English. These chiefs 
complained to the lord-lieutenant, de- 1563 
daring that O'Neill had broken faith 
with the government by raiding their lands. 
The lord-lieutenant commanded O'Neill to meet 
him at Dundalk, but Shaun refused to do so, 
and war was once more declared. 

Death of O'Neill.— In 1566 Sir Henry Sidney, 
who had been appointed lord-lieutenant, formed 
a large army and, aided by the Ulster apos- 
tate chiefs, he attempted to overwhelm O'Neill. 
Shaun, as wary as he was courageous, refused 
to meet such a large force in battle. A year 
later, O'Neill, angered by an invasion of Hugh 
O'Donnell into his territory, collected an army 
and followed that chief into Tyrconnell. There 



126 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

they met in battle and O'Neill was defeated. 
Driven insane by his defeat^ the warlike chief 
of the O'Neills sought refuge among the Scots 
of Clanboy, where he was killed by a 
Scot whose father he had slain in battle 1567 
some time before. His death rid England 
of an enemy more feared than an army of dis- 
ciplined soldiers, and that government took re- 
venge on the dead chief by trying him for trea- 
son and confiscating his estates as well as those 
of the chiefs who had been his allies. 

The Massacre of 1574.— The Earl of Essex re- 
ceived in the year 1574, a grant of the terri- 
tories of Clanboy and Farney, providing that 
he could expel the rightful owners, the 'Neills 
of Clanboy. Failing to do so he pretended to 
agree to a peace and in honor of the occasion, 
Brian 'Neill, the chief of the clan, prepared a 
feast and invited the earl and his retainers to 
partake of his hospitality. The invita- 
tion was accepted with all appearances 1574 
of friendship. This, however, was a ruse 
on the part of Essex to gain an opportunity to 
grasp the estates of Brian from him by foul 
means since he could not get it by fair fight- 
ing. Each guest came secretly armed, and in 
the midst of the feasting the innocent and 
friendly host was set upon and killed, and be- 
fore they could escape the whole clan was 
butchered, n: en, women and childreu, by Essex 
and his followers. Thus the Englishman re- 



RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIOXS 127 

warded the Irish chief for his magnanimous 
forgiveness of the attempt to seize his lands. 

Massacre of MuUaghmast.— Three years later 
another massacre occurred at MuUaghmast, 
Those families of Leix and Offaly whom the 
government had not succeeded in extermina- 
ting were invited in the queen's name to con- 
fer with the English colonists. About four hun- 
dred of them came in answer to the summons, 
and of these four hundred who entered 
the Rath of MuUaghmast that day, but 1577 
one man escaped from a death which had 
been prepared for them by the deputy and 
other officials of the cjueen. For, when the 
men, women and children had assembled in the 
rath near Maryborough, they were surrounded 
by a force of English soldiers under the com- 
mand of Sir Francis Cosby, and massacred in 
a most brutal manner. 

Rory 'Moore.— This slaughter was not left 
long unavenged. There was one chief who had 
not answered the invitation of the English and 
while he lived no member of Cosby 's command 
was without fear of his vengeance. By a guer- 
illa warfare, burning and killing, this chief 
kept the settlers of the Pale in a constant state 
of terror. Sweeping down upon the colony 
with but a handful of men, he would destroy 
everything before him, especially seeking those 
who took part in the 'massacre of his kinsmen, 
until throughout the Pale, its residents trem- 



128 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

bled with fear lest they should suddenly hear 
the dread summons of Rory O'More to the 
death which he returned for the slaughter of 
the Irish clans ; and that summons was his war 
slogan, '^Remember Mullaghmast." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE WAR OF THE GERALDINES. 

Causes.— The Earl of Desmond, head of the 
Southern and Catholic Geraldines, was engaged 
in a hereditary dispute with the Protestant 
Earl of Ormond, leader of the Butler family, 
when Sir Henry Sidney was appointed deputy 
by Elizabeth. Sidney immediately gave 
aid to the Protestant Butlers. In 1567 1567 
he visited Munster and there dealt most 
unmercifully with the Geraldines, finally arrest- 
ing the Earl of Desmond and taking him to 
Dublin. John, the brother of the Earl, was left 
to govern Munster ; but soon after, he too, was 
taken prisoner, and sent with the Earl to the 
Tower of London. This, with the attempt of 
an Englishman, named Sir Peter Carew, to 
seize the lands of the McCarthy, Kavanaugh 
and Fitzgerald, as well as Elizabeth's vigorous 
methods of inculcating the new religion, both 
within and without the Pale, precipitated an 
indignant rising of the Irish and the Anglo- 
Irish chiefs. 

The Geraldine League.— The Earl of Des- 
mond, while in the Tower, managed to convey 
a message to the Geraldines in Ireland order- 

129 



130 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ing his cousin, James Fitzmaurice, to take the 
leadership of the family during his ab- 
sence. In 1569 Fitzmaurice began to pre- 1569 
pare for war. Upon hearing of this, Sid- 
ney, at the head of a large army, marched to 
Munster and to all appearances succeeded in 
breaking up the confederacy. For, unable to 
cope with such numbers, Fitzmaurice submitted 
for the time being to the authority of the Eng- 
lish government. Believing he had 
suppressed the rebellion, Sidney with- 1572 
drew with great satisfaction. The Earl 
and his brother were then released from the 
Tower, and they returned to Ireland. 

Fitzmaurice on the Continent/— Upon being 
compelled to surrender in 1575, Fitzmaurice 
left Ireland and crossed over to 
France. His motive was to organize a 1575 
confederation to defend the religion of 
the Irish from the attacks and persecutions of 
the apostates, and, with this end in view he 
spent six years, travelling from court to court 
on the continent, explaining his- purpose and 
seeking aid. Everywhere did he meet with 
honor and respect, but the Pope alone gave 
him practical assurance of aid in the form of 
an amount of money and a body of men. 

Decampment of Stukely.— Fitzmaurice placed 
at the head of the men given him^ by the pope 
a man named Stukely. Stukely Avas an^ English- 
man as well as an adventurer ; and Fitzmaurice 



WAR OF THE GERALDIXES 131 

made a most grievous and fatal mistake in giv- 
ing him a commission of such importance. On 
his way to Ireland Stukely arrived at Lisbon 
just in time to learn that the King of Portugal 
was making preparations to lead an expedition 
against the Moors. Stukely found that the 
chance for personal gain was more certain in 
this war than it would be in the cause of Fitz- 
maurice. It is probable that the adventurer 
'had never had the intention of being true to 
the trust imposed upon him by Fitzmaurice. 
At all events he enlisted under the flag of 
Portugal and, without the least scruple, calmly 
marched off with the pope's men in quite the 
opposite direction to that which His Holi- 
ness had intended. 

Arrival of Fitzmaurice.— Fitzmaurice, with 
a small body of Spaniards, landed at West 
Kerry in 1579 and stationed his force at 
Dunamore. There he was joined by two 1579 
brothers of the Earl of Desmond and 
other clansmen. With the papal legate, Dr. 
Saunders, the Irish and Spaniards awaited the 
coming of the Pope's men. But Stukely was 
far away fighting the Moors. Finally, there 
appeared in the harbor an English man-of- 
war whose officers seized the four ships belong- 
ing to James Fitzmaurice, and manning these 
with English soldiers, held the port. Mean- 
while, on the land side, the government forces 
had begun to gather, and Fitzmaurice 's small 
contingent was hemmed in. 



132 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Death of Fitzmaurice.— The Geraldine, how- 
ever, succeeded in leading his small forces from 
Dunamore and began a retreat to the Galtee 
Mountains, but in a skirmish with Burke of 
Clan William, concerning some horses which 
Fitzmaurice had taken for his use, trusting to 
his kinship with Burke to excuse the act, the 
brave leader met his death. 

John of Desmond.— As he lay dying James 
Fitzmaurice appointed John, the brother of the 
Earl of Desmond, in his place as leader of the 
Geraldine League. John immediately assumed 
command of the army, and stationing it at 
Gort-na-Tibrid, he awaited the arrival of the 
deputy and his force. A strong- detachment of 
the governmental troops arrived and attempted 
to force the position of Desmond. The Cath- 
olics cut the English to pieces and killed two 
captains who lead the detachment. 

Defeat of the Catholics.— The deputy, becom- 
ing ill, appointed as leader of the English army, 
Malby, the president of Connaught. At Man- 
ister, near Croom, Malby met and defeated the 
Catholics. Then, joined by the Earl of Or- 
mund, he laid waste the western part of Lim- 
erick. 

The Eaxl of Desmond. — The Earl of Des- 
mond, whom Elizabeth had deemed it prudent 
to release from the Tower and ^yhom she had 
counseled to remain loyal to the crown that 
he might receive reward and honor, was appar- 



WAR OF THE GERALDIXES 133 

ently neutral and seemed to be annoyed by 
his kinsman's acts of disloyalty. The govern- 
ment, however, suspected that his neutrality 
was not genuine ; and its officials began to pil- 
lage and burn his lands, and persecute him by 
the usual governmental methods. Goaded by 
these injustices, the Earl finally entered the 
field against his enemies, signaling the event 
by the destruction of the town of Youghal. In 
return for this mighty stroke of the Earl, the 
English with a large army besieged and cap- 
tured his strongholds, the castles of Askeaton 
and Carrickfoyle. In this siege the two broth- 
ers of the Earl met their death ; one was killed 
during the battle; the other was taken pris- 
oner and executed. 

Battle of Glenmalure.— The persecutions, 
such as those visited upon Desmond, were not 
left unavenged. Fiach MacHugh 'Byrne of 
Ballinacor, known as ^^The Firebrand of 
the Mountains," a remarkable and wor- 1580 
thy captain of the Geraldine army, had 
long intimidated and harassed the English with 
his daring attacks. Lord De Grey, lately ap- 
pointed lord-lieutenant, with the zeal of a new 
official, resolved to subdue 'Byrne and ac- 
cordingly made strenuous preparations for a 
raid upon him. 'Byrne, joined by the vis- 
count of Baltinlas and the O'Tooles of Wick- 
low, took his position in Glendalough on the 
25th day of August, 1580, and there awaited 



134 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



the arrival of the concentrated forces of Kil- 
dare, AVingfield and Grey. The English, with 
great assurance, marched up the Pass, leaving 
earthworks behind them ''to prevent the escape 
of the rebels," whom they expected to massa- 
cre. They had advanced far up the rocky glen 




GLENDALOUGH. 

The battle which occurred between Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne 
and Lord Grey and which is commonly known as 
Glenmalure was fought in this the neigh- 
boring valley of Glendalough. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



and still no enemy appeared. All was quiet. 
Ignorant of the fate that awaited them, they 
were laughing and exchanging 'jokes on the 
probable flight of ''the Firebrand'^ and his 
men, when suddenly, out of bush and bramble, 



WAR OF THE C4ERALDIXES 135 

from behind rock and tree, with a wild and 
hearty yell, the Irish poured upon them. The 
shrubbery seemed to be alive with clansmen, 
who joyously attacked the brave, gay army 
that had come to massacre them. For a mo- 
ment consternation reigned, then the whole 
English army turned and fled, followed by the 
gleeful clansmen of ''the Firebrand.'' Even 
De Grey and his gorgeously dressed officers 
took to their heels, fleeing precipitously. It 
was a small and badly damaged remnant of the 
brave army that entered Dublin a few days 
later. 

The Smerwick Massacre.— In October of the 
same year four ships, carrying 700 men and 
arms for 5,000, arrived from Spain in the har- 
bor of Smerwick. The Duke of Biscay and a 
man named Parsons were in charge of the fleet. 
These allies of the Geraldines landed and en- 
trenched themselves in the fort. Lord De Grey, 
knowing that the advent of foreign aid must 
be prevented at all hazards, and anxious to 
retrieve his military fame which he had lost 
so unceremoniously at Glenmalure, hurried to 
the south with a large army, the result of six 
weeks' collecting. Surrounded and besieged 
both from land and from the sea, for the gov- 
ernment had blocked the harbor, the Spaniards 
resisted the onslaughts of the English for three 
days, at the end of which they asked to be 
allowed to treat with the officers of the English. 



136 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

As a result of the conference the fort surren- 
dered on terms sworn to by the English officer 
in charge, Lord De Grey. Life and liberty was 
guaranteed to the men of Spain if they laid 
down their arms, and with the faith of good 
soldiers they surrendered on the oath of de 
Grey. They were all massacred. And '^ Grey's 
faith" became proverbial throughout the con- 
tinent of Europe. 

The Cruelty of De Grey.— The Irish were now 
subjugated to great cruelty. The nobility and 
gentry of the country were accused of treason 
and murdered without trial. Grey took fiend- 
ish pleasure in burning homes and killing 
men and women wherever he dared. He 1581 
was recalled, however, in 1581, in tinie to 
spare the people of Ireland from complete 
extermination. 

Death of Desmond.— In place of De Grey, Sir 
Henry Wallup and the Protestant Archbishop, 
Loftus, were appointed Lord justices. These 
men, in an act of amnesty, offered pardon to 
all, except Desmond, who would lay down their 
arms. The unfortunate Earl was declared an 
outlaw. Most of his clansmen were dead and 
his followers scattered; and, without friends, 
excepting a few loyal servants who would not 
leave their master in his misfortune, and his 
faithful wife, who willingly gav^ up all com- 
fort to follow him, the Earl, once so powerful, 
now led the life of a hunted animal. Finally 



WAR OF THE GERALDINES . 137 

in November, 1583, he was surprised and 
surrounded by his enemies as he lay con- 
cealed in a deserted hovel. Fighting 1583 
bravely against overwhelming numbers, 
the leader of the Geraldines met his death. His 
head was sent to England, where it was spiked 
upon the Tower of London as a warning, but 




DEATH OF THE EARL OF DESMOND. 

a vain one, to all who rebelled against the Eng- 
lish government. 

The Plantation of Munster.— In 1585 an act 
of parliament was passed confiscating the es- 
tates of Desmond and those of his allies of 
the Geraldine League. These estates 
were sold for a few cents an acre to 1585 
Englishmen ; no rent was to be paid for 
the first five years, and the new owners were 
forbidden to retain the Irish, or to receive any 



138 



HISTORY OF IKELAND 



Irishman into their families or to offer aid to 
the homeless and persecuted. Sir Walter Ral- 
eigh and the poet Spenser, who assisted 
at the Smerwick massacre, received their share 
of the royal bounty in these M.unster grants. 
Yet this plan to exterminate the Irish failed. 




RUINS OP DESMOND CASTLE. 

This castle was built by the second Earl of Kildare in 1326 

and afterwards became the residence of the Desmond 

branch of the Geraldine family. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

The tradesmen and mechanics, to whom the 
land was offered, refused to leave their com- 
fortable homes in England and start anew 
in a country so unsettled as Ireland. They 
bought the land, for it was cheap, and in spite 
of the act and its provisions they retained the 
Irish as tenants. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE NATIONAL CONFEDERACY. 

The Education of Hugh O'Neill.— In its at- 
tempt to subdue Ireland, the English govern- 
ment had adopted the policy of denationaliza- 
tion. Its aim was to foster and instill in the 
minds of Irish youth sentiments of disloyalty 
to their native land by a systematic training 
in English surroundings. Young Hugh 'Neill 
of the O'Neill clan of Tyreoghan (Tyrone), 
was early chosen to be a victim of this policy. 
While but a boy he was taken to England and 
placed in the court of Elizabeth, that he might 
acquire the manners and sentiments of the 
English court. He was soon transformed to a 
polished courtier, and, to all appearances, a 
loyal one. When at length it became necessary 
for him to return to his home in Ireland, young 
O'Neill left the queen with fervent protesta- 
tions of his loyalty. So great was the faith 
of Elizabeth in him that, by special act of par- 
liament, the title of Baron of Dungannon was 
conferred upon him, and, at his own request 
he was granted permission to keep a 
small standing army— for the purpose, 1585 
as he explained, of quelling any disturb- 
ance that might arise in Ulster. For Hugh 

]39 



140 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

O'Neill had acquired one qualification that dis- 
tinguishes the courtier, the ability to dissemble. 
In that he had profited by his training in the 
court of Elizabeth. Seemingly a loyal subject 
of the queen, the diplomatic O'Neill was not 
long back among his own people when he began 
to form an alliance with the other northern 
chiefs. With his Irish genius and court polish, 
he was gradually insinuating himself in the 
graces of the Irish, and, while the queen and 
her advisers were congratulating themselves 
upon their success in educating and Angliciz- 
ing this northern prince he was rapidly be- 
coming a leader of his own people, and pre- 
paring to prove himself an Iris'hman. 

Capture of Hugh O'DonnelL— While the at- 
tention of the queen was engaged with the 
training of Hugh O'Neill, another Hugh was 
rapidly becoming a powerful factor in Ulster. 
This was the son of the O'Donnell of the Tyr- 
connell clan, Hugh Roe or Red Hugh. A mere 
boy of fifteen years, handsome, brave and 
strong, he had already become noted through- 
out Ireland for his hatred of the intruding 
English. Perrot, the deputy at that time, was 
beginning to fear the influence which this boy 
held over his people, and, with the object of 
ridding the government of this defiant en- 
emy of its peace, laid a cowardly plot to 1587 
capture him. One day when young Red 
Hugh, with his foster-father M'Swiny, and 



THE XATTOXAL COXFEDERACY 141 

some companions were hunting on the shores 
of Lough Swilly, not far from RathmuUan, a 
ship, bearing the flag of England appeared off 
shore and cast anchor there. Its captain, in- 
troducing himself as a wine-merchant, invited 
Hugh on board, and with some of his party the 
young heir of Tyrconnell guilelessly accepted 
the invitation. Before they could realize what 
was taking place they were made prisoners and 
the ship set sail for Dublin. At Dublin they 
were placed in the Castle, and there held pris- 
oners for four years. O'Donnell finally es- 
caped and, after many vicissitudes, rejoined his 
clan. 

The O'Neill.— Meanwhile Hugh of Dun- 
gannon was becoming a power in the north, 
and the government was growing suspicious 
of his professed loyalty. One of the facts 
which puzzled the officials of Dublin Castle 
was the continual changing of men among 
the ranks of CNeill's standing army. As 
soon as a body of men became efficient sol- 
diers, he unaccountably retired the men, and 
replaced them with raw recruits. His im- 
ports of lead, too, were unusually great, but, 
when called upon to explain, he declared that 
his castle needed a new roof and that he in- 
tended the lead for this peaceful purpose. 
His young wife, Judith O'Donnell, sister to 
Red Hugh, having died some time before, 
O'Neill sought the hand of a beautiful Eng- 



142 IIISTOKY OF IKELAND 

lish maiden. Her brother, Sir Henry Bagnal, 
marshal of Ireland, opposed the match, and, 
to prevent a meeting of the lovers, sent the 
girl to the castle of a relative, where Hugh 
immediately followed her. While a party was 
in progress one night at the castle, O'Neill, 
like the Young Lochinvar of the poem, ap- 
peared and, seizing his lady, carried her off 
from her English friends. Soon after this 
escapade, the Baron of Dungannon dis- 
carded his English title and assumed 1593 
the old Gaelic one. The O'Neill of 
Tyrfeoghan (Tyrone). Having been chosen 
chief of the clan, he was also inaugurated, 
in the midst of ollamhs, bards and clansmen, 
according to the old Brehon law, and as The 
O 'Neill, rightful ruler of Ireland, he set out 
to settle all feuds and unite the clans, making 
all Irishmen friends once more. 

The Two Hughs. — Soon after his escape 
from the English, Hugh O'Donnell, aided by 
Maguire of Fermanagh, began a series of dep- 
redations upon the English garrisons. The 
O'Neill, more calculating and cautious, ob- 
jected to this disorganized, precipitate method 
of fighting; yet he found it wiser to allow 
the impetuous O'Donnell to play havoc with 
the English than to arouse his anger against 
himself by quarrelling with his disposition to 
wreak vengeance upon the enemy. O'Neill 
was called upon to aid the government in 



THE NATIONAL CONFEDERACY . 143 

quelling O'Donnell, who was ravaging the 
country to a great extent. His manner of 
aiding the government was not altogether 
satisfactory to the officials. The help he ex- 
tended lay in saving the prisoners of Red 
Hugh from death by obtaining their promise 
to quit Ireland. O'Neill had already been 
accused of aiding the enemies of England, 
when, in 1588, he gave shelter to the survivors 
of the Spanish Armada that was wrecked off 
his shores, but he had succeeded in convinc- 
ing the queen that he was her true subject. 
Again his accusers informed Elizabeth of her 
protege's faithlessness to her interests. O'Neill 
hastened to Dublin to answer the charges of 
the official there. Upon reaching that city, he 
learned of a plot to kill him and he escaped 
from the city and returned to Tyrone. He 
now threw off the cloak of dissimulation 
which the English court life had taught him 
to wear so gracefully and at last appeared as 
a true Irishman,— an enemy to all that was 
English. 

English Fortifications. — The government 
soon realized that it had two fearless and 
determined men with whom to cope, and 
began to make preparations for a gigantic 
struggle. Garrisons were sent to Ballyshan- 
non and Belleek to guard the country be- 
tween Lough Erne and the ocean, thereby pre- 
venting the entrance of aid into Tyrconnell. 



144 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The fortress of Portmore on the southern bank 
of the Blackwater was fortified and its gar- 
rison reinforced, as were also those of Newry 
and Greencastle. These fortifications formed 
a line of defense stretching across the island 
from east to west. 

O'Neill Declares War.— By this time Hugh 
O'Neill had completed his organization of 
the Northern Confederacy, and he now un- 
furled the snow-white banner of Tyrone with 
its Red Right Hand emblazoned upon it, and 
raided Cavan. His brother Art at the same 
tim.e seized Portmore, that vantage point of 
the English. But the deputy, after several 
attacks, re-captured it from the garrison which 
Art had left in it. Hugh O'Neill, with 
the chiefs Maguire and McMahon then 1595 
laid seige to Monaghan which was held 
by the queen's men. Meanwhile O'Donnell, 
leading his wild clan into Connaught, closed 
in on the English forces there, compelling 
them to remain inactive and useless in Sligo, 
Ballymote and Boyle. All who could not 
speak the Gaelic language he counted as 
enemies, and when he came upon them he 
killed them. Crossing the Shannon, he raided 
the lands of a chief who had adhered to the 
government and continued raiding as he swept 
along, sending all spoil back^ to Tyrconnell. 

Conditions of Peace.— This lightning-like 
mode of warfare startled the slow-moving 



THE NATIONAL COXFEDERACY 145 

English, and they sought to gain time for 
greater preparations by parleying with O'Don- 
nell and O'Neill. By no means deceived with 
their friendly overtures, O'Neill drew up the 
conditions of the peace which the government 
asked. They were : 

1. Full freedom of Catholics to worship 

according to their belief, and complete 
cessation of all attempt to disturb the 
Catholic Church in Ireland, 

2. The removal of all English officials from 
Irish territory, the latter to be under 
the jurisdiction of their own lawfully 
elected chiefs, 

3. The payment of one thousand pounds 
in silver from Marshal Bagnal to O'Neill 
as marriage dowry of Bagnal's sister 
whom he, O'Neill, ''had raised to the 
dignity of an O'Neill's bride." 

In answer to these demands, the royal com- 
missioners who were treating with the Irish 
chiefs angrily called them to lay doAvn their 
arms unconditionally. Their demand was met 
with derision and the war continued. 

Battle of Yellow Ford.— For three years 
O'Neill continued to ravage the Pale and de- 
feat every attempt of the English to subdue 
them. Finally in the summer of 1598, an 
army of 4,000 infantry and 350 cavalry was 
sent to the relief of the English garrison at 
Portmore which 'Neill was beseiging. 'Neill, 



146 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Maguire and O'Donnell had united their 
forces and had taken their position two miles 
north of Armagh, near the Callam River. On 
August 14th, (1598) Bagnal, who was in com- 
mand of the English forces, divided his army 
into three parts and marched against Armagh. 
O'Neill had placed musketeers in the woods 
and brush that skirted the road, and these 




BATTLE OF THE YELLOW FORD. 

poured a continuous fire upon the passing 
soldiery. In spite of this, Bagnal's 
men in the first division crossed the 1598 
trench by which O'Neill had secured 
his position, to be driven back almost im- 
mediately. Bagnal now rode^ forward and 
O'Neill advanced to meet him in a hand-to- 
hand combat, but, just as the two enemies 



THE ^^ATIOXAL COXFEDERACY 147 

were about to clash swords, a bullet struck 
and killed the marshal. The second division, 
coming to the aid of the first, crossed the 
trench, leaving the last to sustain an attack 
made upon them from the rear by O'Donnell 
and Maguire. The joint attacks soon put the 
English to confusion, which was increased by 
the explosion of their ammunition, and they 
fled, with the war-cry of the O'Neills, ''Lamh 
dearg aboo" (the strong hand of victory), 
ringing in their ears. In a few days Portmore 
surrendered. O'Neill seized the ammunition 
and flags of Bagnal's army and allowed the 
survivors to retreat to Dundalk. Over 2,000 
Englishmen lost their lives in this battle. The 
loss to the Irish was six hundred men. There 
was never a battle since the coming of Henry 
II. more victorious than this. 

Arrival of Essex.— Elizabeth, now thorough- 
ly alarmed at the state of affairs in Ireland, 
sent the Earl of Essex, with an army of 20,000 
foot soldiers and 2,000 horse to Ireland the 
following year. Instead of turning immedi- 
ately to the north, Essex went south 
where the chiefs had joined the Con- 1599 
federacy and attempted to suppress 
Rory O'More and some other leaders who had 
been playing havoc with the English in Mun- 
ster, but, after a series of dismal failures and 
many losses, he returned to Dublin, tired of 
the war. 



148 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Battle of Curlew Mountains.— O'Connor 

Sligo, who had returned from England, com- 
ing with Essex, was said to have a commission 
from the queen, and Hugh O'Donnell laid 
siege to his castle. Essex ordered Sir Conyers 
Clifford, a brave Englishman who was then 
governor of Connaught, to take a force from 
Athlone and aid O'Connor in resisting the 
O'Donnell. Detaching some of his force from 
the beseiging party, O'Donnell marched south- 
wards to meet Clifford. In a narrow defile of 
the Curlew Mountains, the two armies met 
and the English were defeated. O'Connor 
Sligo, upon hearing of the defeat immediately 
surrendered. 

Truce. — Essex, who from the first, showed 
much distaste for meeting O'Neill in battle, 
was finally goaded by the taunts of other 
officials into marching north to meet the victor 
of Yellow Ford. They met on the borders of 
Monaghan, where the two leaders held a par- 
ley and agreed upon a truce until the follow- 
ing spring. The terms of the truce, however, 
were not satisfactory to Elizabeth, nor was 
the manner in which Essex conducted the war 
pleasing to her gracious majesty, and she re- 
called him to England. Soon after he was im- 
prisoned and, though once a favorite of Eliza- 
beth's he was executed. Such Was the reward 
for services rendered, both good and bad, that 
the queen bestowed upon her courtiers. 



THE XATIOXAL CONFEDERACY 141) 

O'Neill, Defender of The Faith.— During the 
month of January, 1600, O'Neill, at the head 
of 3,000 men, made a tour of Ireland, organ- 
izing and establishing the Confederacy. At 
Holy Cross he halted and held court in princely 
fashion, where he announced himself to be 
the true Defender of the Faith. 

The Confederacy of the South.— In March 
of the same year O'Neill proceeded to Innis 
carra and spent three weeks there, 
consolidating the Confederacy in the 1600 
South. He was joined by two noted 
princes, Q 'Sullivan Beara and Florence 
IMacCarthy, who came with many other 
chiefs of the South to assist the Red Hand 
of Ulster in smiting the common foe. But 
the pleasure he would have found in the co- 
operation of the Munster chiefs was marred 
by the loss of a trusty officer and true friend. 
Maguire, who had accompanied his chief to 
Inniscarra, went out from the camp to recon- 
noiter the country one day while O'Neill was 
engaged with the late arrivals in his court. 
The chief of Fermanagh was accompanied 
only by a priest and two cavalry men, and 
the four were riding along, Maguire in the 
advance, when they came suddenly face to 
face with a company of English soldiers that 
had left the garrison of Cork for the same 
purpose that had brought Maguire out of the 
Irish lines. St. Leger, marshal of Munster, 



150 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

who was in command of the company, was as 
brave a man as Maguire, and neither would 
retreat for the other. A combat between the 
two leaders followed and both were mortally 
wounded. Maguire's companions carried him 
^back to O'Neiirs camp where he died. A few 
days later St. Leger died in Cork. 

Letter from Pope Clement VIII.— The death 
of Maguire hastened O'Neiirs return to the 
North to prevent any disturbance which 
might arise in the installation of a new 
chief of the Maguire clan. Upon reaching his 
home in Dungannon, Hugh received a letter 
from Pope Clement VIII. accompanied by a 
gift of appreciation and gratitude for his 
defense of the religion. 

Nationality the Strength of the Confederacy. 
—O'Neill had now completed the establish- 
ment of a national league which never before 
had been equalled by any. of its kind in Ire- 
land. The Geraldines had made their object 
simply the tolerance of the Catholic religion 
on the part of the government; they had 
omitted the question of nationality, and for 
that reason they had failed. Hugh O'Neill 
combined Catholicity with Celtic nationality, 
and did so in such a manner that, without one 
the other could not exist in Ireland. 

Mountjoy and Carew.— Essex with his 20,000 
men had failed to cripple this gigantic menace 
to English control of the island, and lost his 



THE XATTOXAL CONFEDERACY . 151 

head in consequence. Elizabeth now resorted 
to extreme measures. She appointed two 
crafty, energetic and cruel men to im- 
portant offices. To the first, Mountjoy, she 
gave the office of deputy ; to the other, Carew, 
she gave the presidency of Munster. All the 
power of England was then concentrated in 
the attempt to crush O'Neill and to disorganize 
the Confederacy; and, as there was no other 
trouble to engage the attention of the govern- 
ment at this time, it was easy for the queen to 
make new levies, order new armaments, and 
send a large army over to ciuell Hugh and his 
confederates. Mountjoy began his campaign 
against the O'Neill by sowing the seeds of dis- 
sension among the Irish chiefs who had joined 
his standard. With forged letters and trick- 
ery in every form he could devise, he gradu- 
ally gaine^^ his end and O'Neill's followers 
began to suspect him and fall away, one by 
one, until but a few brave and loyal friends 
remained. His misfortunes seemed to bind 
one friend closer to him,— Red Hugh. No ruse 
of the deputy or the English court could 
weaken his faith in O'Neill; and together the 
two chiefs of Ulster waA^ed defiance to all 
England, her strength or her wiles. Their 
friendship and affection at this crisis is one of 
the greatest inspirations in Irish history. 
Back to back, the two Hughs stood, deter- 
mined, undaunted and true, and fought the 



152 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

whole English army that threatened to over- 
whelm them. 

Arrival of Aid from Spain.— In their ex-, 
tremity the two chiefs received word that 
Spain had again come to Ireland's assistance. ' 
On September 23, 1601, Don Juan 
de Aguila, in command of a fleet carry- 1601 
ing 3,000 men, sailed into the harbor of 
Kinsale, landed and took possession of the . 
town. Don Juan had come, expecting a glor- 
ious reception from the friendly Irish; but, 
in Munster the confederacy had lost its 
strength, for the arrest of two important lead- 
ers, Desmond and McCarthy,^ had crippled it ; 
and the two Hughs were in Ulster, guarding 
the frontier on the north against Dowkra, 
who, with 4,000 infantry and 200 cavalry had 
landed on the north coast and advanced to 
i)erry. The irascible Don Juan sent messen- 
gers to O'Neill demanding that he come to his 
assistance immediately. Although O'Neill had 
advised the Spanish officials of the futility in 
landing such a small force in the South, he 
now had no alternative but to hurry to the 
aid of the Spaniards at Kinsale. So ' with 
fatigued and weakened forces, the two Ulster 
chiefs, O'Donnell and O'Neill, began their 
long journey to the South. 

The March to Kinsale.— 6 'Donnell started 
in advance of O'Neill, and reached Holy Cross 
where he awaited the arrival of the latter. 



THE NATIONAL CONFEDERACY 153 

, Carew made an attempt to cripple his army 
before O'Neill could reinforce him, but by a 
I sudden night march of forty miles O'Donnell 
and his already wearied men frustrated his 
attempt. By the 21st of December the two 
.Hughs were within sight of Kinsale. There 
O'Sulliv^an Beara, O'Driscoll, O'Connor Kerry 
and other chiefs joined the small army; and 
Dunboy, the castle of the 'Sullivan, Balti- 
more and Castlehaven, the three important 
ports of Munster, were garrisoned w4th Irish. 
Battle of Kinsale.— The English had begun 
the siege of Kinsale from the land and the 
sea. O'Neill, upon learning that they had but 
few provisions and that they would have great 
difficulty in getting more, resolved to hem 
them in and ^^ besiege the -besiegers." The 
fiery Spaniard, Don Aguila, impatient of this 
mode of warfare, remonstrated with him and 
urged him to make an immediate attack. Once 
more against his judgment, O'Neill obeyed the 
Spaniard's request and appointed a night for 
a joint attack upon the besiegers. That night 
he led his army in three divisions close to the 
camp of the enemy. The night Avas cloudy, 
and there was no moon; and in the intense 
darkness many of his regiments lost their way. 
The surprise he had meditated upon Carew 's 
army failed to carry, for the Englishman had 
in some manner learned of his plan and was 
prepared for him. It was with consternation 



154 , HISTORY OF IRELAND 

that O'Neill came upon the English army 
drawn up and awaiting his appearance. 
Quickly he ordered a halt. But it was too 
late, for Carew had ordered a charge of his 
men, and the Irish, confused at the unexpected 
turn events had taken, were at the greatest 
disadvantage. They fought bravely, however, 
and in spite of numbers and surprise they held 
their ground for an hour before they were 
compelled to retreat, losing in that hour one 
thousand men. 

The Council of Chiefs.— After the battle of 
Kinsale, the Irish chiefs held a council of war, 
and it decided that O'Neill return to the 
north, leaving 'Sullivan in' charge of the 
Confederates in Munster, while O'Donnell 
went to Spain to plead for greater and more 
efficient aid. 

Siege of Dunboy.— The Spanish garrison of 
Dunboy surrendered to Carew, who allowed 
Don Aguila and his soldiers to return to Spain, 
where as a consequence of his stubborn at- 
tempt to direct operations against O'Neill's 
advice, he was imprisoned by the Spanish 
government. Dunboy did not long remain in 
the hands of the enemy, for 'Sullivan Beara, 
by a strategic move again in 1602, seized it 
and placed a garrison of one hundred 
and forty-three men in it. Under the 1602 
command of Richard MacGeoghan. 
Again Carew surrounded the castle, this time 



THE NATIO^^AL CONFEDERACY 155 

with a force of four thousand men. After a 
sturdy resistance of the small garrison, a par- 
ley was held in which MacGeoghan refused to 
surrender unless every man in the castle be 
allowed to march out under arms; the con- 
dition was not granted, and the siege con- 
tinued. For eleven days Carew's artillery 
battered the rugged walls of the old castle 
with cannon shot and with rams pounded the 
weak spots until at length an entrance was 
effected. When the clansmen saw that the 
army could no longer be resisted, some of 
them attempted to escape by swimming across 
the bay, but they were shot dowm by the Eng- 
lish soldiers who had been placed in boats for 
that purpose. The remainder of the garrison 
retreated to the cellar of the old stronghold, 
where Thomas Taylor now took the command, 
MacGeoghan having been mortally wounded 
in the attack. Barrels of gunpowder lay 
stored in the cellar, and with these Taylor 
threatened to blow the castle and its inmates 
into eternity rather than die at the hands of 
Carew. At last the cannon-balls penetrated 
the walls of this refuge and Taylor was com- 
pelled to surrender unconditionally. The Eng- 
lish charged upon their victims in a most fero- 
cious manner. Coming upon the wounded 
MacGeoghan as that heroic captain was pain- 
fully dragging himself, lighted torch in hand, 
to where the gunpowder was stored, Captain 



156 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Power, an Englishman with brutal strength, 
seized the dying hero and held him while some 
other officers with no regard for chivalry or 
honor hacked him to pieces. But the Mac- 
Geoghan, brave to the end, fought them to his 
last breath. Of the one hundred and forty- 
three men, but fifty remained against Carew's 
thousands. They were taken prisoners and 
hung. The castle then was blown up, and the 
home of the O'Sullivans was no more. 

*' Long, long in the hearts of the free 

Live the warriors who died in the lonely 
Dunbui— 
Down time's silent river their fair names 
shall go, 
A light to our race the long coming day; 
Till the billows of time shall be checked 
in their flow." 

'Sullivan's Retreat.— When the news of 
the capture of Dunboy reached Spain, where 
O'Donnell had persuaded King Philip to pre- 
pare a large army, the last hopes of the Tyr- 
connell chief were destroyed, for with Bear- 
haven, the last port held by the Irish, gone, 
all chance to enter Ireland was lost, and Phi- 
lip countermanded the orders he had given for 
the raising of an army. O'Donnell, heart- 
broken but still hopeful, was hurrying to the 
Spanish court when he fell sibk on the way 
and died at Simancas on the 10th of Septem- 
ber, 1602. News of his death came to O'Sulli- 



THE NATIOXAL CONFEDERACY 157 

van Beara, who had been holding his position 
at Glengariffe for six months against the com- 
bined efforts of the whole Munster army; and 
the brave chief of Beara, seeing that his power 
was broken in the south, decided to go north 
and join O'Neill. In the middle of winter, 
with four hundred men and six hundred 
women and children,— for he could not find it 
in his heart to leave his clanspeople to the 
mercies of Carew,— he started for Ulster. The 
march was a long, bitter one, for they had no 
provisions and there was little food to be 
found on the way. Crossing the Shannon in 
boats made from the hides of their horses, 
which they had been compelled to kill for 
food, they marched for two weeks, seeking 
nourishment as they traveled, and hiding 
from the English to save themselves from a 
death even worse than that which threatened 
them— starvation. Finally they reached the 
land of the O'Rourke, who received them hos- 
pitably, fearing neither the anger of Carew 
nor Mount joy. But between the skirmishes 
they had experienced with the English on the 
route and the lack of food, as well as the 
severe hardships, 'Sullivan's band was re- 
duced to eighteen soldiers, thirty-six servants 
and one woman when he reached the friendly 
O'Rourke. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
THE END OF MILESIAN IRELAND. 

New Hope of the Catholics.— In 1603 the 
throne of England fell to the possession of 
a descendant of the Milesian race, James I., 
of England, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. It 
was with joy that the broken and wearied 
remnant of the Confederacy welcomed 
the coming of this king to the throne, 1603 
for from him they hoped to obtain jus- 
tice. From the fact that he was the son of a 
Catholic queen, the Irish Catholics were led to 
believe in his goodwill towards them, and they 
immediately began to rehabilitate their sanctu- 
aries and to practice their faith openly as of 
old. 

Proclamation Ag^ainst Catholics.— But the 
king, ruled by his Puritan parliament, issued 
a proclamation in 1605, forbidding all forms 
of Catholic worship, and enforcing all 
the penal laws. Magistrates were in- 1605 
structed to see that these laws were 
carried out to the letter; and a general cru- 
sade against Catholicism began. So zealous 
were the officials in punishing members of the 
proscribed religion that they employed spies 

158 



THE EXD OF ^^IILESIAN IRELAXD 159 

to secure evidence against all Irish suspected 
of belonging to it. 

The Flight of the Earls.— The government 
officials did not feel satisfied and secure in 
their persecution of the Irish people as long 
as O'Neill, 'Sullivan, O'Rourke, O'Donnell 
and the new chief of theMacGuire were living 
in freedom in Ireland. To rid themselves of 
these strong spirits of disaffection, they em- 
ployed a base means. A letter, supposedly 
containing information of a conspiracy among 
the Irish chiefs, was written by Lord Houth, 
anonymously, and dropped in the council 
chamber in such a manner to make it appear 
to have fallen from the hand of one of the 
chiefs who had conferred with Lords 
Houth and Slane in that place. O'Neill and 
O'Donnell were summoned to appear in Lon- 
don, but MacGuire, who had learned of the 
plot while in Flanders, warned them in time to 
prevent their departure for that unfriendly 
court. The Irish chiefs now saw that the aim 
of the government was their destruc- 
tion, and resolved to leave Ireland. 1607 
On September 14, 1607, the brave lead- 
ers of the Confederacy said farewell to their 
native country and sailed for safer lands. 
After an adventurous voyage these warrior 
exiles landed in Nantes, France. As soon as it 
learned of their presence in France, the Eng- 
lish government ordered Henry IV. of France 



160 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

to give up the ^'rebels." He refused, and 
allowed them to continue their journey to 
Rome, where the Holy Father received them 
with many honors. O'Donnell and O^Neill, 
remained in Rome, where a year later, O^Don- 
nell and his brother Cathbar, died. O'Neill 
survived his friend and fellow-patriot for 
only five years. 'Sullivan, MacGuire, Roderic 
O'Donnell and other exiles set out from Rome 
for Spain. MacGuire died on the way to 
Genoa. Roderic O'Donnell and his family 
took an active interest in the politics and 
government of their new home and to this 
day the O'Donnell's are held in high esteem 
in the court of Spain. 

The Plantation of Ulster.— The lands of the 
exiled chiefs were now seized by the govern- 
ment, as were also the lands of O'Doherty, a 
young chief, who, for months after the flight 
of the other chiefs, resisted the attempts of the 
English to encroach upon his proprie- 
tary rights. Ulster was parceled out 1608 
to London tradesmen, who now became 
landlords where the O'Neill and his kins- 
men had for generations so proudly ruled. 
Among the other fortunate recipients of the 
confiscated lands is the far-famed Trinity 
College. Thirty thousand acres were given 
to this establishment, and to the present time 
the rents of these lands are poured into the 
treasury of the college. It may well be said 



THE EXD OF MILESIAX lEELAXD 161 

that the bone and sinew, the blood and the 
very marrow of the poor Irish farmers are 
wasted towards the unjust end of teaching 
Irish youth to be loyal Englishmen. For in 
Trinity College the tendency is to eradicate 
all that is natural from the Irish hearts and 
minds of the students. More lands, to the 
extent of forty-three thousand acres, were 
divided among the Protestant bishops. They 
reveled in wealth while the Irish priest was 
proscribed and driven from the home of his 
ancestors, and like his Predecessor and Master 
''had not whereon to lay his head,"— if the 
executioner's block did not become his pillow. 

Religious Persecution.— As soon as these 
lands were divided and the colony established, 
need for more lands became urgent. For those 
who had not received grants were greedily 
clamoring for a portion, and the government 
was pressed to find a means to supply them. 
The spy system was introduced, and soon the 
extermination of Catholics who still adhered 
to the old faith began. Upon such the penal 
laws were brought to bear. Confiscation of 
their lands was the result, and those English 
who laid the blighting eye of desire upon the 
rich fields of the Catholics were benefited 
thereby. 

The Penal Law of 1611.— Andrew Knox, the 
Protestant bishop of Raphoe, incited the gov- 
ernment to expel all priests from the country. 



162 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The penalty incurred by a refusal to leave 
was death; and anyone found assisting or 
concealing a priest or nun forfeited his lands. 
The Catholics had begun to send their chil- 
dren to the continent to be educated in Catho- 
lic institutions of France, Spain, Belgium and 
Italy. A law was now made, forbidding them 
to educate their children either at home 
or abroad. All were compelled to 1611 
attend Protestant services on Sundays 
and holidays. The persecution was on. Among 
the most notable martyrs of this period were 
Sir John Burke, who was hung for sheltering 
Catholic priests, Cornelius O'Deveny, Bishop 
of Down and Connor, who was hung for re- 
fusal to quit the field of his labors, and Father 
Con O'Loughrane, who was also hung for that 
reason. 

Parliament of 1613.— The parliament in Ire- 
land had not met for twenty-seven years. In 
1613, Sir Arthur Chichester, who was at the 
head of the government in Ireland, resolved 
to make use of the Protestant plantations. 
In spite of war, famine and persecution, the 
Catholics were still in the majority in the 
island, and, to get a Protestant majority, the 
deputy ordered the formation of forty new 
boroughs, each of which was to provide two 
Protestant members. This produced a Protes- 
tant parliament which gave full control of Ire- 
land to the English government and repealed 



THE EXD OF MILESIAN lEELAXD 163 

the laws that Henry and Mary and Philip 
made in justice to the Catholics. This 
parliament proscribed O'Neill, O'Do- 1613 
herty, O'Donnell and the other Irish 
chiefs who had resisted the English govern- 
ment. The Catholic members were too few to 
be able to prevent the passage of the out- 
rageous acts which the fanatical Puritans pre- 
sented, except in one instance, when they suc- 
ceeded in having an Act of Amnesty and Ob- 
livion passed. 

The Commission of Defective Titles.— In 
1617 nearly half a million Irish acres were 
secured to the government through the 
agency of a commission under William 1617 
Parsons. This body of men was called 
the Commission of Defective Titles. Its duties 
were to unearth old documents, and, in view 
of a consequent seizure of lands from their 
owners, to find flaws in these documents and 
titles to the lands of the Irish. It was a nat- 
ural result that the commission found flaws 
where none existed. The Irish suffered great- 
ly at the hands of this commission. Men and 
women were put to torture in order to force 
confessions of the existence of titles and deeds 
and to give other evidence which might be 
used to destroy their proprietary rights or 
those of their relatives and friends. 

The Court of Wards.— Sir William Parsons 
also remodeled the Court of Wards which 



164 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Henry VIII. had established. By virtue of 
his office in this court, he became the 
custodian of all heirs of Catholic pro- 1622 
prietors, over whom he had absolute 
control until they reached the legal age. 
Through this means the children of many 
noble families lost their faith and became 
Protestants. Of all the methods that a power- 
ful nation could use to destroy the unoffend- 
ing religion of the people, there was none as 
dastardly as this, the actual abduction of their 
offspring from parents for the purpose of 
training them to forswear and even betray 
their fathers. Yet this was only one of the 
many odious and cowardly attempts to reduce 
Ireland to a condition of hypocrisy and slav- 
ery that then distinguished the people of Eng- 
land. 

The Bill of Rights.— In the midst of these 
land seizures and bigoted enactments of laws 
against the old faith of his fathers James I. 
died, leaving the succession to his son, Charles. 
When Charles came to the throne he was 
pressed for money, and, to gain the where- 
with to pay his creditors, or to satisfy his 
luxurious tastes, he offered to sell justice to 
the Irish people. The Irish saw in this offer 
a friendly attempt toward mutual help, 
and in 1628, drew up a statement of 1628 
their grievances, offering him £120,000 
in return for certain concessions or erraces. 



THE END OF MILESIAX IRELAXD 165 

These graces numbered fifty-one, some of 
which were : 

1. The right to practice their religion with- 

out molestation. 

2. The right of proprietors whose lands 
had been in their families' possession 

for sixty years to take the oath of alle- 
giance instead of that of supremacy. 

3. The right of Catholics to practice in the 

courts of law. 

The king promised to grant all these con- 
cessions and signed the list. He also agreed 
to call a parliament to confirm his promise. 
Then a committee of men appointed by the 
Catholics went over to England in order to 
pay the price of these graces. As soon as they 
had handed over the money, Charles, now 
assured of the actual possession of it, con- 
veniently forgot his promise, and shamelessly 
gave full liberty to the Puritan party to con- 
tinue its enactments and enforcements of the 
penal laws. 

Continued Persecutions.— Not only were the 
Catholics subjected to the persecution of the 
Puritans, but also the Protestants who clung 
to the church of Elizabeth. Even they were 
not secure in their titles to lands when certain 
members of the parliamentary party, which 
was now Puritan, desired them. The deputy, 
Lord Falkland, who had advised the Catholics 
to ask for the graces, was now accused of too 



166 HISTORY OF liRELANt) 

great tolerance of the Catholics and he was 
l-ecalled. Lords Ely and Boyle were made 
chief justices. These men immediately insti- 
tuted a system of greatest cruelty. So zeal- 
ous were they, that the few religious houses 
that had been overlooked on account of their 
isolation and remoteness from settlements were 
now ferreted out and their inmates dispersed. 

Arrival of Wentworth.— In 1633 Thomas 
"Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, England, be- 
came deputy of Ireland. His great motive 
was to obtain money for the king, and 
to this end he immediately called a 1633 
parliament, the members of which, by 
his contrivance, were mostly in the pay of the 
government. He obtained the amount of 
£300,000 in two sessions of this parliament by 
assuring the members that the king fully in- 
tended to keep his promise in regard to the 
concessions. When Charles again broke his 
word, Wentworth took the entire blame upon 
his own shoulders, to which the cowardly king 
gladly acceded. The money gained, Went- 
worth dissolved parliament. 

Confiscation of Connaught Lands.— In the 
following year Wentworth, to get more money 
for the king, began to confiscate the lands in 
Connaught. A commission under the leader- 
ship of Parsons continued the work. Men 
were paid to form juries whose members swore 
that each of the counties Sligo, Mayo and Ros- 



THE EXD OF MILESIAX IRELAND 167 

common were legally the property of the king. 
In Galway, a jury, more conscientious than the 
others, refused to obey the orders of the Dub- 
lin officials. As an example to jurors inclined 
to be honest and stubborn in their honesty, each 
member of this Gahvay body was fined £4,000 
(or $20,000). 

The Crippling of the Woolen Trade.— The 
woolen trade of Ireland at this time was pros- 
pering, to the detriment of that of England, 
and Wentworth, fearing the consequent decay 
of English trade, used his power to destroy it. 
He, however, took measures at the same time 
to increase the linen trade, for that did not 
clash with English interests; and the industry 
flourished in the north. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE WAR OF 1641. 

The Causes.— The cruelty of the laws im- 
posed upon them, and the efforts of the Puri- 
tans to exterminate them aroused the Catholic 
Irish to seek justice once more by means of 
the sword. Numbers of men, made homeless 
by the confiscations of their lands, were wander- 
ing over the country, and death in the attempt 
to regain their lands was more alluring than 
the wretched life they were now leading. The 
recent successes of the Scotch Covenanters 
against English supremacy, too, spurred them 
to a renewed resistance against their oppres- 
sors. 

Birth of the Project.— Those Catholics who 
were in exile were the first to conceive the 
project of another rising. Spain, Italy, France 
and the The Netherlands had given them ex- 
perience in military affairs, and they had at- 
tained high rank in foreign armies. With un- 
daunted determination they had planned and 
worked faithfully towards the end of freeing 
their country, organizing small companies and 
buying arms with money deducted and saved 
from their small salaries. With hope in the 
strength of these exiles and the promise of help 

168 



THE WAR OF 1641 , 169 

from Cardinal Richelieu of France, a number of 
Catholic Irishmen, among whom were Rory 
O'More of the Leix clan, Sir Phelim O'Neill 
of the O'Neills and MacGuire of the old Mac- 
Guire clan with Plunkett of the Pale, began to 
organize for a rising. Soon Hugh MacMahon, 
Sir Con MacGinnis and Philip O'Reilly entered 
the conspiracy. 

The Proposed Methods of the War.— The 
rising was to take place immediately after the 
harvest, for then the Irish would be supplied 
with provisions and the crops would be in no 
danger of devastation at the hands of the 
English, and, on the other hand, the enemy 
Avould with difficulty be able to get supplies 
during the winter months. At a given signal 
the war was to begin simultaneously in all 
parts of the country; Dublin Castle was to be 
seized and every available fort taken. Those 
Avho would refuse to join the insurrection were 
to be treated as enemies and made prisoners; 
the English planters were to be driven out, but 
the Scotch settlers, being considered as friends 
and of the same race, were to be left free to 
remain. One of the most remarkable facts con- 
cerning the proposed rising was that no blood 
was to be shed unless an armed resistance on 
the part of the English compelled it. 

The Opening of the War.— Parsons and 
Borlase, the lords justice, had been advised of 
the rising, but they either did not believe its 



170 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

possibility or they desired to have it take 
place, for they made no effort to stop 
preparations. The day appointed for the 1641 
war to begin was October 23, 1641. The 
night before the event Owen 'Connolly, to 
whom the secret had been confided in good 
faith by MacMahon, informed Parsons. Mac- 
Mahon and MacGuire were arrested at once. 
O'More, 'Byrne and Plunkett, other leaders 
of the rising escaped. The North, however, 
was more successful. Several towns and forts 
were captured in many instances without blood- 
shed, for wherever the garrisons surrendered 
the lives of the soldiers were spared. In dis- 
tricts where the Protestants had been more 
than usually brutal and cruel to them, it was 
impossible for the leaders to prevent the people 
from taking revenge. The forts of Charlemont, 
Mountjoy and Dungannon were seized by Phe- 
iim O'Neill and his lieutenants on the night 
of October 22nd ; on the 23rd Con MaGennis 
and his men became occupants of the town 
of Newry; the MacMahons seized Garrickma- 
cross and Castleblaney ; Philip O'Reilly leveled 
Cavan to the ground; Roger MaGuire did the 
same with Fermanagh and the O'Hanlons took 
possession of Tandragee. On the third day of 
the rising Con MaGennis Avrote to the English 
commander at Down, declaring ^that it was not 
the desire of the insurgents to shed blood, but 
that, should English resistance compel them to 



THE WAR OF 1641 171 

do SO, they were nothing loath. A few days 
earlier a proclamation had been issued at Dun- 
gannon giving the motive of the rising, couched 
in these words, *^The true intent and meaning 
is not hostility to his majesty, the king, nor 
to any of his subjects, neither English nor 
Scotch, but only the defense of ourselves and 
the Irish natives of this kingdom." This was 
proved by the fact that only one man was 
killed during the first six days of the ris- 
ing. 

Position of the Anglo-Irish.— Sir John Read 
was deputed by the Anglo-Irish to ask for 
arms from the government for the purpose of 
protecting themselves from the Irish. The re- 
quest was refused and Read was put on the 
rack by the Puritan party in order to draw from 
him a confession that the king and queen were 
in league wdth the Catholics. 

Catholics of the Pale Proclaimed Rebels.— 
The Catholic gentry of the Pale as weU as the 
nobility were invited to a conference in Dublin. 
Having received information which caused 
them to suspect treachery, they refused to 
meet the Puritans in Dublin, naming the town 
of Swords as a meeting-place instead. For this 
act of prudence they were proclaimed rebels. 

Union of the Anglo-Irish and the Irish.— In 
the month of December the Anglo-Irish assem- 
bled at Crofty, where they received the Irish 
leaders, O'More, O'Reilly, MacMahon, Byrne 



172 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

and Fox. At this meeting they arranged for 
an assembly at Tara a week later where both 
classes of Irish overcame all prejudices and 
united against their common enemy. 

The Provincial Synod.— The bishops of the 
province of Armagh met at Kells on 
March 22nd, 1642, where they solemnly 1642 
pronounced the cause of the Confederates 
just and right. 

The National Synod.— In answer to a request 
of the bishops of Armagh, a national assembly 
of prelates was held on May 10, of the same 
year at Kilkenny, where an oath of association 
was framed. Those taking the oath were 
called the Catholic Confederates of Ireland. A 
declaration containing the motives of the Con- 
federacy and a set of rules for its guidance 
Were drawn up and a provincial government 
was formed. 

Arrival of Owen Roe O'Neill.— In July, 1642, 
Owen Roe, nephew of Hugh 'Neill of Tyrone, 
with several other Irishmen who had fought in 
Flanders landed in Donegal, followed soon after 
by Colonel Preston, who, with a party of Irish- 
men, landed at Wexford. These men brought 
with them ammunition and arms, and began 
immediately to introduce discipline among the 
Irish forces. Soon a small but compact, well 
drilled army began to grow out of the awkward 
and raw numbers of patriots. 

The Supreme Council.— On October 24, 1642, 



THE WAR OF 1641 173 

an assembly consisting of the nobility, prelates 
and gentry met and chose six persons from 
each province as members of a Supreme Coun- 
cil. This Council was to sit daily from the 
beginning to the end of the year and to carry 
on an executive government. Lord Mountgar- 
ret was chosen as first president, and O'Neill 
was elected general of the Ulster confederates, 
while Preston was given the command of the 
forces in Leinster. 

The Four Parties.— By this time there were 
four parties in the disturbance in Ireland, the 
king's party, under Ormond, the Anglo-Irish, 
under Lord Mountgarret, the native Irish, un- 
der General O'Neill, and the English parlia- 
mentary or the Puritan party, under Monroe. 
The king and parliament were struggling for 
the control both of England and Ireland, and 
the king's party was fast losing its grasp of 
the reins of government to the more bigoted 
Puritan parliament. In the war with the Irish, 
the parliament accused the king of secretly 
abetting the insurgents; so to offset this accu- 
sation the king's party became zealous in its 
attempt to suppress the rising. Opposed to 
both these the Irish and the Anglo-Irish stood, 
united only in the attempt to gain justice ; for 
these two parties differed fundamentally, the 
Irish adhering to papal supremacy and the 
Anglo-Irish willing to trust all to the king. 

Demands of the Catholics.— The Catholics 



174 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

demanded freedom of religion, freedom of 
parliament and the repeal of Poynings's Act, 
Catholic seminaries for their youth, Irish pro- 
prietors for an Irish parliament, and an Irish 
parliament independent of that of England. 
They also asked that the term of office of gov- 
ernor would be three years at the most, and 
that, while in office, the governor be not al- 
lowed to acquire land. Besides these requests 
the Confederates demanded a general pardon. 

Levy of Soldiers.— In the meanwhile the Su- 
preme Council had ordered a levy of 30,000 
men at the same time sending agents to the 
courts of Europe to seek aid for the cause. 
One of these agents who worked most inde- 
fatigably to collect money in Europe was 
Father Luke Wadding. 

Extirpation of Catholics.— The Puritan gov- 
ernment now set upon the insurgents, tooth 
and nail. All Catholics being proclaimed 
rebels, they were hunted down and horribly 
massacred. Sir Charles Coote made himself 
notorious by his wanton massacres of persons 
innocent of all association with the Confeder- 
ates. He butchered and killed without regard 
to age or sex ; and it is told of him, that upon 
seeing a soldier brutally impale an infant upon 
his sword, the fiend jokingly remarked that he 
liked ''such frolics. '' ' 

The Confederate Army.— This method of 
purging the country of the hated Catholics only 



THE WAR OF 1641 - 175 

strengthened the Confederacy and hastened its 
growth. While agents were abroad, traveling 
from court to court, the army was gradually 
driving the Puritans out of the towns. In less 
than two years it had gained control of a great 
part of the interior of the island, scattering the 
enemy to the seaports. 

The Cessation.— The successful growth of the 
Confederacy caused the king to look to that 
organization for aid in his war with parlia- 
ment. To this end he deputed a commission 
to treat with them. Opposition to this attempt 
to conciliate the Catholics was offered 
both by Ormond, w^ho was commanding 1643 
the army in the vicinity of Dublin at that 
time, and by the nationalists. However, at 
the end of the year 1643, a cessation of hostili- 
ties for a year was agreed upon between Or- 
mond and the Confederates, the latter promis- 
ing 1(7,000 men to aid the royalist in Scotland 
and the king in his war with the Puritans. 

Monroe and In chiquin.— Monroe, the leader 
of the Scotch Covenanters of the north, refused 
to recognize the truce which the king had in- 
stitued with the Confederates, and continued 
his outrageous massacres. Murrough O'Brien, 
known as Lord Inchiquin, angry with the king, 
in whose party he had been, had now joined 
the ranks of the Puritans. The product of the 
infamous court of wards, he was most savage 
and cruel in his warfare upon Catholics ; to this 



176 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

day his memory is execrated as Murrough the 
Incendiary. 

Arrival of the Papal Nuncio.— October, 1644, 
Rinuccini, Archbishop of Fermo, came as 
Nuncio from Pope Innocent X., bringing with 
him arms, ammunition and money for the pur- 
pose of aiding the Confederates. His arrival 
was signalled with great enthusiasm and 
acclaim. Even in the days of Catholic 1644 
Ireland there never was greater demon- 
stration shown an envoy from Rome than that 
given Rinuccini. Landing at Ardtully in Ken- 
mare Bay, he proceeded to Macroom where a 
troop of cavalry, sent as bodyguard by the 
Supreme Council, met him. From Macroom 
he went to Kilkenny, the Capital city of the 
Confederacy, where he was received with pro- 
fusive honors. In the assembly, seated in the 
position of honor, at the right hand of the presi- 
dent, he made known the object of his visit, 
stating that it was to uphold the king's author- 
ity, to gain freedom of worship for the Catho- 
lics and to seek the restoration of the Church 
property. 

The Glenmorgan Treaty.— In 1645 the king 
sent the Earl of Glenmorgan to Ireland to make 
peace with the Confederates. He commis- 
sioned the earl to grant all their de- 
mands. In a skirmish between the Scots 1645 
under Coote and the Irish under ^ Dil- 
lon, which occurred near Sligo, the brave 



THE AYAR OF 1641 . 177 

Archbishop 'Queely of Tuam fell and upon his 
person was found the treaty made by Glen- 
morgan with the Confederates. This discovery 
made apparent the treachery of the king, for 
he had deceived both the Irish and the English , 
To shield the king from the wrath of the Puri- 
tans, as well as to save his honor, Glenmorgan 
took the blame upon himself, saying that he 




THE BATTLE OF BENBURB. 

had, without the king's permission, taken the 
power of granting concessions to the Catholics. 
To complete the deception, Ormond, who was 
in the plot with the Earl and Charles, caused 
the imprisonment of Glenmorgan, declaring 
that the king's trust had been abused. 

The Battle of Benburb.— The Scotch Cove- 
nanters, under the command of ]Monroe, were 



178 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

devastating the north, and though the assem- 
bly at the cessation of hostilities between the 
Confederates and the king's party, had voted 
thirty thousand pounds to Ormond to 
enable him to check them, he neglected 1646 
to do so. At length Owen O'Neill took 
matters into his own hands and early in June 
marched into Tyrone and encamped at Ben- 
burb. O'Neill's army was flanked by a river 
on the right and a bog on the left. To the 
rear was a wood. Although his army was 
greater in size than that of O'Neill, Monroe, 
on the arrival of the Confederate general, sent 
orders to Coleraine where his b.rother was sta- 
tioned asking him for reinforcements. He at- 
tempted to meet these reinforcements, but the 
march of O'Neill had been more rapid than he 
had expected it to be and he was intercepted 
by two regiments which the Irish leader had 
sent forward for that purpose. Monroe now 
crossed the Blackwater at Kinkaid, a place some 
distance from the rear of the Confederate army, 
and by a circuitous route approached it from 
the east and south. O'Neill was not taken by 
surprise as the Scotchman had anticipated. On 
the 5th of June the whole Irish army received 
holy communion in solemn preparation for the 
coming battle. O'Neill then sent General 
O'Farrel to hold a defile through which the 
Scotch would pass, but the artillery of the 
enemy forced him to retire, which he did with 



THE "WAR OF 1641 179 

admirable order among his troops. The Cove- 
nanters now advanced to dislodge O'Neill and 
his men from their position. They were halted 
by the Confederate infantry which opened fire 
upon them from the bushes. Monroe thought 
to use his artillery with the same effect which 
it had made upon CFarrel's handful of men; 
this time, however, it failed to move the daunt- 
less Confederates. He then charged the stub- 
born infantry with his cavalry, and again he 
failed. For four hours O'Neill with his small 
army kept the Covenanters busy, doing so with 
very little effort on the part of his own men. 
Finally Owen Roe gave orders for a charge. 
With a wild hurrah, the Irish infantry rushed 
upon the Scotch army. So great was the ardor 
with which they attacked them that a great 
terror came over the troops of Monroe ; his 
cavalry became panic-stricken, and entangled 
itself with the infantry, which in turn lost 
all order ; and the whole Scotch army was soon 
put to rout. Three thousand men were killed 
on the field and many were drowned in an at- 
tempt to ford the river, as they fled from the 
Irish. All the guns, ammunition and supplies 
fell into the hands of O'Neill's men; and their 
victory was complete. Of the Irish only seventy 
men were killed. 

Repudiation of the Treaty.— The peace un- 
der Ormond had lost its power with the com- 
ing of the Nuncio. A new general assembly 



180 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

met at Kilkenny on January 10th, 1647, which 
condemned the peace and cessation. At this 
meeting a treaty in some manner similar to that 
of Glenmorgan was offered for consideration. 
It had been signed by Ormond in behalf of 
the king and by Muskerry in behalf of the 
Confederates, and had been published in 
Dublin on August 1st, 1646. There was 
no provision for the restoration of the con- 
fiscated lands of Ulster or of the Church 
property, nor was the freedom oi religion for 
the Catholics promised in any of the clauses. 
In a synod at Waterford it had been condemned 
by the Nationalists and by the Nuncio. When 
it was produced before the assembly of 1647 
that body decreed it invalid and declared that 
no peace would be agreed upon unless the terms 
of the treaty would vouch for the safety of 
Catholics, their Church and their property. 
The Confederates took a new oath by which 
they bound themselves to retain their arms 
until they had gained a peace under these 
terms: freedom of religion, general am- 
nesty, and restoration of their churches 1647 
and their property. They separated them- 
selves from the Ormondist peace party and be- 
came Nationalists in their policy. Ormond, in- 
censed by this departure, turned the city of 
Dublin over to the parliament and in conse- 
quence of his act received the sum of five thous- 
and pounds with the promise of two thousand a 



THE WAR OF 1641 . 181 

year in the future. Fearing for his personal 
safety he soon after left Ireland. 

Battle of Dungan Hill.— General Preston of 
the Confederate army was attacked at Dungan 
Hill near the town of Trim, by Jones, the gov- 
ernor of Dublin. The English forces num- 
bered twice those of the Irish, and it was easy 
for the governor to surround and drive Pres- 
ton's small army into a bog, where he and his 
men shot them down in their helplessness as 
they struggled there. O'Neill, hearing of this 
slaughter hurried with 12,000 men against 
Jones, whose army even then outnumbered the 
Irish. Jones hastened back to Dublin, not dar- 
ing to meet O'Neill. 

Capture of Cashel.— Inchiquin, in the latter 
part of September, 1647, set upon the town of 
Cashel, ordering the citizens to pay him 
three thousand pounds tribute money. They 
refused his demand and he stormed the 
town. Succeeding in demolishing the walls 
and gaining an entrance, the English killed 
the garrison and massacred the townspeople, 
pursuing their victims into the cathedral where 
they had fled for refuge. There in the sanctuary 
of his forefathers Inchiquin, the apostate, 
butchered men, women and children of his own 
nationality for the favors of the Puritan parlia- 
ment. Twenty priests that day met death at 
the hands of this fiend and his soldiers. 

Attack on Clonmsl.— Leaving Cashel in ruins, 



182 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Inchiquin proceeded to Fethard and immedi- 
ately received the surrender of the intimidated 
citizens of that town. He then marched to 
Clonmel, where he found Alexander McDon- 
nell, surnamed Colchitto (Left-hand), in charge, 
and by no means frightened by his visitation. 
He ordered a surrender and received a prompt 
refusal. He did not attempt to gain an en- 
trance. 

Battle of Knocknanos.— After a short respite 
Inchiquin renewed his bloody massacres. Early 
in November, Lord Taaffe and Sir Alexander 
McDonnell met him in battle at Knocknanos. 
At first the Confederates were victorious, but 
the death of McDonnell gave a turn to the bat- 
tle and the Irish lost. Four thousand Con- 
federates were killed. For this success parlia- 
ment voted one thousand pounds to Inchiquin 
and one thousand for his army. 

Truce with Inchiquin.— In spite of the pro- 
tests of the bishops of the Supreme Council, 
that body made a truce with Inchiquin on 
May 20, 1648. O'Neill refused to join 
in this piece of folly, and Preston en- 1648 
gaged with Inchiquin, his former arch- 
enemy, to march against O'Neill. A week 
later the Nuncio denounced the weakness of 
the Confederates in making peace with the 
apostate, Inchiquin, and placed a ban of excom- 
munication upon all those who accepted the 
terms of the truce or aided it in any way. He 



THE AVAR OF 1641 183 

then joined O'Neill at Marysborough where 
the latter was encamped with but 700 men. 
The sentence of excommunication took effect 
and 2,000 men soon rejoined O'Neill and the 
Nuncio. With no desire to expose his small 
army to the danger of battling with the over- 
whelming numbers of Inchiquin and Preston's 
united armies, O'Neill retreated to Ulster by 
way of Athlone. 

Treaty with Ormond.— Ormond, at the re- 
quest of Inchiquin, finally returned to Ireland, 
and on the 17th of January^ 1649, signed a 
treaty of peace, granting many of the 
terms to the Confederates for which, they 1649 
had fought. The Ormondists, the Anglo- 
Irish and Irish had at last come to an agree- 
ment, which, had it been effected a few years 
before, would have prevented much bloodshed 
and devastation, given justice to Ireland as far 
as her religion was concerned, and probably 
saved the life of the king. Peace with the Or- 
mondists and the king had come too late, how- 
ever, and to the Irish these concessions from 
that party were useless, for toward the close 
of that same month Charles was murdered by 
his faithless subjects. 

The Departure of Rinuccini.— In February, 
1649, the Nuncio left Ireland. He had striven 
to establish the native Irish in a position of 
honor and power which had been theirs until 
the settlers of the government had, by the 



184 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

strength of that government, driven them from 
it. He had sought to rehabilitate the Church 
with its old dignity ; and he had failed. Un- 
compromising in his dealings with his enemies, 
and loyal in his friendship to his faithful Irish 
followers, he would have succeeded in his de- 
sign had the Anglo-Irish taken his advice and 
followed his leadership as well and as unques- 
tionably as had the natives. 

The Confusion of Parties.— By this time the 
politics of Ireland were reduced to a veritable 
chaos. Men turned from one party to another, 
as the parties changed principles. Monroe and 
his Ulster Scots refused to lend their aid in 
abolishing the monarchy and' destroying their 
king, and Monroe was taken prisoner by tho 
commander, Monck, who was sent over to take 
his place. The Ormondists, Inchiquin and the 
compromising part of the Confederates had 
joined forces, while O'Neill and his National- 
ists in unswerving loyalty to their original 
cause, stood alone. Yet even they in the con- 
fusion, not knowing which side to take, unable 
to cope single-handed against the numerous en- 
emies, ventured a truce, and that with the 
parliamentarian commander, Monck. In this 
truce O'Neill and his men were promised free- 
dom of religion and restoration of property. 
Be it said, however, to the hotior and sagacity 
of Owen Roe, that he put little faith in the 
promise of the parliamentarians. 



THE WAR OF 1641 ' 185 

Ormond's Campaign.— Now in control of the 
Government Ormond took measures to assert 
his authority. With Preston and Inchiquin he 
marched through Leinster, seizing castles from 
the 'Neill party and making war on the parlia- 
mentarians as well. Inchiquin besieged Dro- 
gheda, Dundalk, Newry and Trim, forcing a 
surrender of those parliamentarian garrisons in 
each instance. At Rathmines, reinforced by a 
new detachment from England, Ormond at- 
tacked Jones, the Governor of Dublin, but 
failed to vanquish him. This battle ended the 
power of Ormond as well as his campaign. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

CROMWELL AND THE CROMWELLIANS 

Arrival of Oliver Cromwell.— Oliver Crom-^ 
well eame over to Ireland in August, 1649, 
bringing with him thirteen thousand fanatical 
Puritans all bent on murdering the Catholics. 
With £20,000 to defray his expenses and 
a sympathetic parliament to encourage 1649 
him, he began a career of such savagery 
that, even to this day, his name is bitterly 
execrated, and, although it is almost three hun- 
dred years since he persecuted the Irish, the 
most bitter curse that falls from the lips of a 
vengeful Irishman is ^'the curse of Crom- 
well.'' 

Drogheda Massacre.— A week after his ar- 
rival in Ireland, Cromwell laid siege to the 
town of Drogheda in Louth. There were three 
thousand men in the garrison of the town un- 
der the command of Sir Arthur Ashton, an 
Englishman, but a Catholic. Cromwell attacked 
the town from the Meath side, and, in spite of 
a brave resistance on the part of the garri- 
son, which was composed mainly of royalists 
and cavaliers of the Ormond party, he effected 
an entrance for five hundred of his men. Call- 

186 



CEOMWELL 187 

ing upon the town to surrender, he promised 
quarter to all who would comply ; but when the 
soldiers laid down their arms, the fanatical 
Puritan ordered every man, woman and child 
put to the sword. Then a scene so terrible fol- 
lowed that in the whole history of civilization 
there is nothing to equal the Massacre of 
Drogheda. For five days the Puritan army 
reveled in murder and carnage. Babes were 
torn from their mother's breasts and their lit- 
tle bodies pierced with swords or clubbed to 
death; women cried in vain for mercy from 
the inhuman soldiery ; and priests met the most 
cruel death that the monsters could contrive. 
Churches to which the terrified people fled were 
set on fire and those who had sought their shel- 
ter were burned, or killed in the attempt to 
escape the flames. And for a long time after 
the visit of Cromwell to Ireland one of the 
streets in Drogheda was called Bloody Street, 
a fit memorial for the '^ godly'' Puritans. The 
few men who escaped the carnage in the 
doomed town met with even a worse punish- 
ment than death, for they were sent to the 
slave markets, and sold as slaves to the West 
Indies. Parliament then appointed a day of 
thanksgiving for the victory of Drogheda. 

Surrender of Towns.— Trim, Dundalk, Car- 
lingford and Newry, their citizens being terri- 
fied by the accounts of the fiendish cruelty ex- 
hibited by the Puritans, surrendered without 



188 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

resistance when Cromwell arrived at their 
gates. 

Wexford Massacre.— On October 1st of the 
same year, Cromwell reached the gates of Wex- 
ford and ordered that town to surrender. Col- 
onel David Synot, to delay an attack, offered 
to make terms with the Puritan, but was re- 
fused, an unconditional surrender being de- 
manded. Under cover of asking for a confer- 
ence, Synot, however, occupied Cromwell's at- 
tention long enough to enable twelve hundred 
Ulster men to gain an entrance to the town 
for the purpose of aiding the besieged. Ten 
days after, the Cromwellian batteries began to 
bombard the castle and town. Stafford, the 
governor of Wexford, sought a parley with 
Cromwell. In the parley Cromwell bribed him 
to admit some of the Puritan army to the 
town. These men made the entrance for the 
main army an easy matter. In the face of 
this betrayal, Synot 's men fought bravely 
against the great odds, until, overwhelmed by 
the avalanche of Puritans that poured in upon 
them, they were cut to pieces. The scenes of the 
Drogheda massacre were repeated when the 
soldiers came upon the townspeople. An in- 
stance of the heartlessness was shown when 
two hundred women, kneeling in the market- 
square before the cross, were killed in the 
most cruel manner. Cromwell, in reporting 



CBOMWELL . 189 

this victory, called it a ^^ mercy'' granted him 
by God. 

Resistance of Waterford.— Leaving Ross 
where he had proceeded from Wexford and 
compelled the surrender of the garrison which 
was under General Taafe, Cromwell now 
strung a bridge of boats across the river Suir 
and crossed into Waterford. Cromwell pro- 
posed to take this town either by way of Hook, 
a small town on the Wexford side, or by way 
of Crook, another town in the vicinity of Water- 
ford,— a proposition which afterwards became 
the byword of the Irish, ^^by Hook or by 
Crook," for the Puritan general with all his 
notoriety of cruelty and fierceness, could not 
make the brave townsmen of Waterford sur- 
render, and he was forced to raise the siege 
and march on to Dungarven. From Dungar- 
ven he went to Cork, Youghal, Kinsale and 
Bandon, where he quartered his troops for the 
winter. 

Death of Owen Roe O'Neill.— Before the ar- 
rival of Cromwell in Ireland, Ormond had sent 
to General O'Neill for assistance. But the 
course of that brave man was run, for he was 
then on his death-bed. Before he died he ren- 
dered his last service to his country by appoint- 
ing his nephew, Hugh O'Neill, who had served 
under him on the continent, to take his place 
and march to Ormond 's aid with six thousand 
Ulster men. He died on the 6th of November 



190 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

at Cloughoughter Castle, County Cavan; and 
Ireland was bereft of the only leader who 
could have coped successfully with Cromwell. 

Opening of the Spring Campaign.— In the 
spring of 1650, Cromwell laid siege to Kilkenny, 
arriving at that town on March 22nd. The 
town was suffering from a plague, and for that* 
reason no outside aid could be expected by the 
besieged; yet the garrison, depleted though it 
was by the ravages of the disease, held out for 
a week, twice repelling the attack of the Puri- 
tans. But the soldiers were fighting without 
hope, and sick and wearied, they finally had to 
surrender. 

Siege of Clonmel.— The Puritans now pressed 
on to Clonmel, where a stubborn resistance 
awaited them. Hugh O'Neill, who commanded 
the garrison of the town, kept off the English 
for four hours. Then a breach in the walls was 
effected, but the Ulster men continued in beat- 
ing back the Puritans until their ammunition 
gave out, and, just as victory was theirs, 
they were compelled to give up the fight. 1650 
That night, under cover of darkness, the 
garrison left the town, and next day when 
Cromwell again commanded the town to sur- 
render the citizens agreed to surrender on 
terms agreeable to them. Cromwell, believing 
that he still had to cope with O'Neill and his 
men, consented to the terms rather than engage 
in another battle. Great was his chagrin when 



CKOMWELL . 191 

he entered the town to find that the garrison 
had decamped and that he had been hood- 
winked by the citizens. 

Battle of Macroom.— In the meantime Boe- 
tius Egan, Bishop of Ross, had gathered an 
army in the South and was marching to the aid 
of Clonmel when he was intercepted by Lord 
Broghill, whom Cromwell had sent to meet 
him. The two forces met at Macroom and a 
battle took place where the Irish were defeated 
and the brave bishop taken prisoner. He was 
offered his life on condition that he would per- 
suade the garrison of the neighboring castle, 
Carrigadrohid, to surrender — a condition which 
he indignantly refused to consider. When 
taken before the walls of the castle, the bishop 
fearlessly exhorted the men behind them to 
defend their town with their lives. For this he 
was hung before the eyes of the men whom he 
had sought to encourage. Soon after the gar- 
rison of Carrigadrohid capitulated. 

Battle of ScarrifhoUis.— On June 21st a bat- 
tle was fought at ScarrifhoUis in which the 
whole northern army of Catholics was de- 
stroyed, and the bishop-leader, Heber M'Mahon 
was captured, and in spite of promise of quar- 
ter promised by the English commander, Coote, 
received the same death as had Bishop Egan. 

Departure of Cromwell.— Cromwell left Ire- 
land on the twenty-ninth of May and returned 
to England, where he received great praise for 



192 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

his work. He left his son-in-law, Henry Ire- 
ton, in command of the army in Ireland who the 
following August attested his father-in-law's 
sagacity in choosing him by accomplishing the 
surrender of Waterford. This left to the Catho- 
lics only the fortresses Sligo, Limerick and 
Galway. 

Resignation of Ormond.— The assembly, 
meeting at Jamestown in August and at Lough- 
rea in November of 1650, asked for the resigna- 
tion of Ormond, whose leadership, the members 
believed, was detrimental to the furtherance 
of the royal cause. Ormond, who had, indeed, 
lost courage and hope upon the death of the 
Irish general, Owen Roe O'Neill, gave up the 
command of the king's forces to Lord Castle- 
haven and the deputyship to Lord Clanrick- 
arde. 

Surrender of Limerick.— Early in 1651, the 
city of Limerick became the object of Ireton's 
attack. Lord Muskerry attempted to lead re- 
inforcements into the beleagured town, but he 
was intercepted by Lord Broghill and 
compelled to retreat. The city was 1651 
plague-stricken, and the garrison was 
reduced to but two thousand five hundred men, 
yet, exhorted by O'Neill and Purcell, and en- 
couraged by Bishops O'Brien of Emly and 
O'Dwyer of Limerick, neither townspeople nor 
garrison thought of surrendering to the Puri- 
tans. From early summer until the last of 



CROMWELL 



193 



October did the enemy storm the town, employ- 
ing every implement of war known at that time 
in the effort to dislodge the garrison. Charge 
after charge was made, but to no avail, and 
the Puritans lost a great many men. Finally on 




IRETON CONDEMNING THE BISHOP OF LIMERICK. 

October 27th, a traitor, named Fennell, allowed 
a company of Ireton's men to enter through 
St. John's gate, and these men turned the can- 
non against the city, thus covering the main 
army which followed. In two days the city 
surrendered. Bishop O'Brien, General Purcell 



194 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

and twenty-seven others were put to death; 
but, on account of his prestige on the continent 
and fearing the odium of his many friends in 
the foreign courts, Ireton dared not kill 'Neill. 
One by one the other garrisons surrendered, 
Athlone, Galway and those of less importance 
until, early in 1652, there was none to resist 
the Puritans ; and the war was brought to a 
close. Ireton, however, did not live to witness 
this successful end of his campaign, for he had 
fallen victim to the plague and died a month 
after the surrender of Limerick. 

Exile of the Irish.— Now began the most bitter 
experience of the Irish at the hands of the Eng- 
lish that the country had ever suffered. For- 
merly, the Irish soldiers who were forced to 
leave the island, had the option of taking their 
families with them ; now the men who had sur- 
rendered were driven into exile uncomforted 
with the thought that their loved ones were 
with them. In three years 50,000 men left Ire- 
land, driven from their homes by the harsh 
injustice of parliament and the English govern- 
ment, to enter the armies of France, Spain and 
Poland, where, in after years, they were given 
the opportunity to punish their old foe, Eng- 
land. Their families, left alone and unpro- 
tected, became the prey of Bristol merchants 
who sent agents through the country to hunt 
and capture women and children as they would 
wild animals, to sell them in the slave markets 



CROMWELL > 195 

of the West Indies. The number of victims of 
these slave traders is estimated at 60,000. Thus 
after eleven years of vrar, pestilence and fam- 
ine, Ireland was left with but half of its popu- 
lation. 

Act of Settlement.— In 1652, the Long Par- 
liament of England declared the rebellion in 
Ireland to be at an end, and began to make laws 
for it as a subjugated country. On 
August 12th that year Parliament passed 1652 
an act which decreed: 

1. That all ecclesiastic proprietors should be 

deprived of their estates and lives ; 

2. That all commissioned Royalist officers 
be banished from Ireland and two-thirds 
of their lands forfeited, the remaining 
third being left for the support of their 
wives and children ; 

3. That those who did not carry arms but 
took part in the war in other ways for- 
feit one-third of their estates and ex- 
change the other two-thirds for lands 
west of the Shannon River. 

All these exiles were ordered to assemble be- 
fore the first of May, 1654, under the penalty 
of outlawry and to cross the Shannon, never 
to appear again within two miles of that river 
or four miles of the sea. In this decree, Crom- 
well used an expression that has come down the 
centuries to us— ''To Hell or to Connaught," 
which will ever remind the descendants of those 



196 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

exiles of the injustice and cruelty of the Puri- 
tans. The difference between the two places 
of punishment was not very great, for Con- 
naught was the most barren and unproductive 
part of Ireland that Oliver Cromwell could 
choose. By thus confining them to this 
limited space Cromwell attempted to prevent 
all intercourse between the Irish Catholics and 
the rest of the world. 

The Down Survey. —In 1653 a new survey of 
Ireland was taken by Sir William Petty, who 
found that one half of the country belonged to 
Catholics and *^ delinquent Protestants." This 
land was now divided among the creditors of 
the English government. Adventurers 
who had lent money for the purpose of 1653 
making war on Ireland received 800,000 
acres ; soldiers whom the government had been 
unable to pay for their services during the war 
got 180,000 acres; and Cromwell's favorites 
were given 100,000 acres. Beside these distri- 
butions of lands, the houses in the towns and 
the cities were let on lease to Protestants and 
with them 800,000 acres of land. 

The Three Beasts.— The ''three beasts'' was 
an expression used during this time to indicate 
three annoyances to which the Cromwell colon- 
ists were subjected. The first^was, in truth, a 
beast, the wolf, which, on account of the desola- 
tion of the country had increased in great num- 
bers and threatened the lives of the new colon- 



CEOMWELL . 197 

ists; the second was the Catholic priest; the 
third was the tory, or swordsman whose lands 
having been confiscated was left with no means 
of support and who wandered about, seeking re- 
venge on the Cromwellians by killing them 
whenever and wherever he met them. 

Persecution.— On January 6th, 1653, the 
Statute of Elizabeth came into force again. By 
this statute all priests were declared guilty of 
high treason and those who sheltered them 
guilty of felony. Over a thousand priests were 
driven into exile as a result of this return to 
the laws of Elizabeth, but many remained in 
spite of the law, and of those who left, some re- 
turned from exile, at the risk of their lives, 
to perform their duty in ministering to their 
persecuted people. In 1655 every priest found 
in the country was arrested and either ex- 
ecuted or sold as a slave to the Barbadoe Is- 
lands. A new sport had come into vogue among 
the fanatical Puritans, that of priest-hunting, 
and large sums of money were spent in the cap- 
ture of these men of God ; and brutal results fol- 
lowed each seizure. Yet in spite of all 
this persecution and murder the Catholics of 
Ireland continued in their devotion to their 
religion. Hidden in cliffs and caves on the 
mountain sides, sheltered by fences and hedges 
in the fields or gathered humbly and fearfully 
in lonely bogs and glens the poor people of the 
true religion and their staunch-hearted sog- 



198 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

garths offered up the sacrifice of that great Vic- 
tim Whose example and for Whose sake it was 
given many of them to follow when discovered 
by the Puritans. 

The Government.— The government of Ire- 
land at this time consisted of the deputy, the 
commander-in-chief, four commissioners and 
the High Court of Justice which perambulated 
the country, distributing justice, as the Crom- 
wellians understood it. By this many persons 
were condemned to death for their defending 
their religion and for practising it; and the 
means of death was the most cruel, burning at 
the stake being 'sometimes resorted to. 

Population.— Ireland now became the home 
of many Protestant sects, Quakers, Anabap- 
tists, Puritans and, after the Eestoration, Epis- 
copalians. To this day there may be found an 
inherited Puritanism which separates the de- 
scendants of these from the old Irish families 
as completely as it did in the days of Cromwell. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE INGRATITUDE OF CHARLES II. 

First Fruits of the Restoration. — Oliver 
Cromwell died in 1658, and by his death the 
strength of the Puritans was broken. Two 
years later Charles II. ascended the throne of 
England. The Irish who had fought against 
the parliamentary party and suffered for doing 
so now awaited a just compensation in the form 
of relief of their condition. But like all the 
princes of the House of Stuart, Charles was an 
ingrate. As soon as the Catholics re- 
ceived the intelligence of the restoration 1658 
of Charles Stuart, many of them re- 
claimed their lands from the adventurers, some 
forcing the occupants to leave at once. But 
these people had reckoned without knowledge 
of the character of the king. Charles had re- 
ceived the right of rulership with a great many 
conditions attached, and whatever his own re- 
gard was for his loyal Catholic subjects and his 
Irish friends, to satisfy the Protestants he 
found it convenient to break faith with his 
Irish adherents. He appointed Coote and Brog- 
hill lords-justice, two of the most bitter Pro- 
testants he could select. To Ormond, the 

199 



200 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

strongest opponent of the Church, he gave the 
lord-lieutenancy. 

The Parliament of 1661.— On May 8th, 1661, 
a parliament was convened in Ireland, the first 
for twenty years. Among the lords were 
172 Protestants and but 24 Catholics; 1661 
among the commoners 262 were Prot- 
estant and 64 Catholics. 

The Act of Settlement.— The parliament 
passed an act called the Act of Settlement, con- 
firming the new settlers in their possession of 
Irish estates. 

The Court of Claims.— In spite of this Act of 
Settlement and the great odds against them, the 
Irish continued to struggle for the possession of 
their lands. A court of claims was established 
under the Act of Settlement by which those 
dispossessed of their lands and innocent of any 
part in the recent war regained their lands. Out 
of two hundred and seventy-seven cases heard, 
only nineteen were refused a restoration to 
their property. This alarmed the Protestants 
and they appealed to Ormond to bring the ses- 
sions to an end. 

The Act of Explanation.— Not only did Or- 
mond comply but he also went over to England 
and there effected the passage of a bill which 
forbade any Catholic who had not been found 
innocent by the court of claims to seek a trial 
or to claim his lands. It was called the Act of 
Explanation. Over three thousand persons who 



INGRATITUDE OF CHARLES II 201 

had entered claims in the court were left un- 
heard, and, without trial, were condemned and 
forbidden to assert their innocence. 

The * 'Remonstrance. "—The leading Catho- 
lics to defend themselves against the calumnies 
of the Protestants, met in Dublin and signed a 
declaration of their principles as to religion 
and their allegiance to the king. At the insti- 
gation of Ormond the executor of the document 
introduced expressions derogatory to the 
teachings of the Catholic Church and for this 
reason the Catholic clergy refused to sign it. 
On. the 16th of June they met and drew up 
another remonstrance in which they protested 
their loyalty without denying their religion ; but 
Ormond refused to present this declaration to 
the king and ordered the adjournment of the 
meeting. The bishops and priests were once 
more banished or forced to hide from their per- 
secutors, and the penal laws were enforced with 
rigor. 

Persecutions Renewed.— Ormond soon found 
an opportunity of revenging himself on the 
clergy for their refusal to sign the declaration 
of loyalty which he had improvised. A per- 
nicious plot concocted by the fanatical Puri- 
tans of England was the cause of a renewed 
persecution of the Catholics of England and it 
soon was extended to Ireland for political pur- 
poses as well as for religious ends. This plot, 
called the Titus Oates Plot, gave rise to rumors 



202 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

that a great plot of the Catholics had been dis- 
covered. Although the lord-lieutenant and the 
other officials did not credit the existence of 
such a plot, they used the fabrication for their 
own end, that of incriminating the opposing 
clergy. Archbishop Talbot of Dublin was ar- 
rested and thrown into prison, where he died 
two years later. A reward of ten pounds was 
offered for the arrest of a bishop or a Jesuit. 
Catholics were forbidden entrance to Dublin 
and other large cities. Many people suffered 
martyrdom as a result of this plot and 
finally in the year 1681 the venerable 1681 
primate of Ireland, Archbishop Plunk- 
ett, was accused of complicity in the plot, ar- 
rested and sent to London, where, after a mock 
trial, he was hung, drawn and quartered at 
Tyburn. 



CHAPTER XXIIK 

TYRCONNELL'S ADMINISTRATION. 

Justice to Catholics.— In 1685 James II., for- 
merly the Duke of York, took possession of the 
throne of England. He was a Catholic and 
made no secret of the fact ; and the Irish were 
assured of religious toleration. On the other 
hand, the Protestants realized that with the 
accession of James II. had come the doom of 
their sway in the government of Ireland; and 
they dreaded a justifiable seizure of their ill- 
gotten lands. But the new king was not harsh 
in his justice ; he proclaimed civil and religious 
liberty for all sects as well as for Catholics ; he 
abolished all penal laws and test-oaths ; and he 
released the thousands of Catholics who had 
been imprisoned for their loyalty to their faith. 
Knowing full well that to Catholic Ireland must 
he look for support, he directed his attention 
towards the redress of Catholic griev- 
ances. In 1686 he appointed Richard 1686 
Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, a fervent 
Catholic and the descendant of an old Anglo- 
Irish family, as commander-in-chief of the army 
giving him an authority independent of any 
other. This man, as true a nationalist in spirit 
as those of Celtic origin, of unsmirched* honor, 

203 



204 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

faithful to his friend and king, of indominable 
will, possessing a courtliness of manner befit- 
ting a prince, a courage and loyalty becoming a 
hero, was, in spite of all that followed, the best 
choice that James could have made. He began 
at once to weed out the obnoxious Puritans 
from the army, filling the vacancies with Catho- 
lics. He appointed Catholic judges, magistrates, 
councillors, and peremptorily disarmed the Pro- 
testant militia. He revoked charters, disestab- 
lished companies and created a general up- 
heaval for the justification of the Catholics. 
The Earl of Clarendon, whom James had named 
at the same time as lord-lieutenant, served as 
a check upon the impetuosity of Talbot, but he 
was soon after recalled and, on the 17th of 
March, the national holiday of Ireland, Tyr- 
connell was made lord-lieutenant in his stead. 

The Conspiracy Against the King.— Early in 
the summer of 1688 Tyrconneli received infor- 
mation from Holland that the Protestants of 
England, to whom the tolerant policy 
of James was far from being acceptable, 1688 
were conspiring with William, Prince of 
Orange, to dethrone their king. The Earl im- 
mediately informed James of the conspiracy, 
sending to his assistance the small army which 
he had gathered for the protection of royal in- 
terests in Ireland. Meanwhile he opened a cor- 
respondence with Louis XIV. of France, hoping 
to get the aid of that king; but, before he 



TYRCONNELL^S ADMINISTRATION 205 

could complete preparations for a defense of 
his king, he was compelled to turn his attention 
to the North, where the Protestants, who had 
been leagued with the Williamites of England, 
had united and organized themselves for a re- 
volt. In December, news of the arrival of 
William in England and the abdication of the 
throne by James was received, and the rebellion 
in Ireland began. A few days after, the gates of 
Derry were closed, and all the important mili- 
tary posts in the North, with the exception of 
Carrickfergus and Charlemont, were seized by 
the Protestants in the name of William. 

Distribution of Forces.— With the contingent 
that he had sent to England destroyed by .the 
Dutch army of William, Tyrconnell was com- 
pelled to raise another army, a feat which 
would have discouraged a man of less courage 
than he. With no money to insure a living for 
the soldiers, not to speak of the supply of arms 
and ammunition, he resolutely began the task 
of organizing a Catholic army. The gentry re- 
sponded to his appeal for companies as gener- 
ously as their small means would permit, giving 
the wrecks of their fortunes for the equip- 
ment of the soldiers, and by their united efforts 
succeeded in fitting twelve thousand rtien for 
service. With these Tyrconnell proceeded to 
reinforce the forts along the Shannon from 
Lough Allen to the sea, and to garrison the 
towns of Kilkenny, Cork, Waterford and Dun- 



206 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

dalk, reserving a contingent for Dublin. He 
had left, after this distribution, just six thou- 
sand men for field service. And it was with this 
small, undisciplined army that he proposed to 
resist the power of William. 

Hamilton in the North. —Tyrconnell opened 
the campaign against the rebels in the North, 
ordering Richard Hamilton, a brave general 
and a true Irishman, to take a force of two 
thousand men from Drogheda and pro- 
ceed to Ulster. Marching on through 1689 
Dundalk and Newry, Hamilton reached 
Dromore where he encountered a force of eight 
thousand Protestant rebels under the com- 
mand of Hough Montgomery, Lord of Mount 
Alexander. With the first charge of Ham- 
ilton's dragoons the Protestants were thrown 
into confusion, and fled, Montgomery in 
the lead, not stopping until they reached 
Hillsborough, where they intrenched them- 
selves. This ignominious flight of Montgom- 
ery's men, who had been preparing for months 
before, is called ''The Break of Dromore." Fol- 
lowing the insurgents to Hillsborough the Irish 
general found it easy to drive them from that 
stronghold on to Dungannon. Hillsborough was 
an important capture, for it was the headquar- 
ters of the organized Protest,ants, known as 
''the Council." Here Hamilton seized all the 
papers, secret correspondence and proyis- 
ions left by the enemy in their pre- 



tyrconnell's administration 207 

cipitate flight. Pursuing the retreating 
forces still further, he dislodged them 
from Dungannon as he had done at Hills- 
borough. Belfast, Antrim and Ballymena then 
fell into his hands. At Ballymoney he halted to 
recruit his small army. While there, he was 
attacked by a foraging party sent out from 
Coleraine where the Protestants had intrenched 
themselves; but so violent was the charge that 
his troops made upon them, they fled, leaving 
all their booty behind them. In two weeks 
after he had left Drogheda, Hamilton and his 
small company had entered the country of the 
enemy, marched against four times their num- 
ber and had conquered the counties Armagh, 
Down, Antrim and a great part of Tyrone. Nor 
was Galmoy, whom Tyrconnell had sent to 
Monaghan, Cavan and Fermanagh, behind 
Hamilton in success. While the latter was coop- 
ing the Protestants into the strongholds of 
Coleraine and Derry, he was driving them and 
their commanders, Lord Blaney and Gustavus 
Hamilton, into Enniskillen. 

Arrival of James II.— In the meantime James 
11. , who found a friendly welcome at the French 
court, had been preparing to make a fight for 
his throne. Aided with money, ammunition and 
arms furnished him by Louis XIV., he landed at 
Kinsale on the twelfth of March, 1689, bring- 
ing with him only fifteen hundred men, at 
the head of whomi he proceeded to Cork where 



208 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Tyrconnell was awaiting him. From that point, 
he went to Dublin, receiving along the line a 
glorious ovation from the people— for Ireland 
had not forgotten his attempt to aid the suffer- 
ing Church. In Dublin he met with a royal wel- 
come; triumphal arches had been erected for 
his entry; flowers were scattered before him; 
bands of priests met him with all solemnity; 
and general rejoicing went up on all sides; but, 
most significant of all this greeting was that 
which the green flag floating from Dublin Cas- 
tle bore: *'Now or never— now and forever!" 
The Jacobite Army.— James first selected his 
cabinet, choosing Tyrconnell, Mountcashel, 
General Nugent and some French officers as 
the principal members. He next issued a proc- 
lamation ordering the rebels to lay down their 
arms and return to their homes and offering 
pardon to all who would comply. Then he 
turned his attention to the organization of an 
army. This was by no means an easy task. 
When he called for volunteers, more than a 
hundred thousand men answered his appeal; 
but these were unarmed and ignorant of the 
use of arms except as they saw them in the 
hands of the Protestants. Of these James 
was able to supply only four thousand for 
that was the number of arpis Louis had 
furnished ; and he was compelled to see thou- 
sands of brave adherents retire to their homes 
for lack of weapons with which to fight for him. 



tyrconnell's administration 209 

Altogether he managed to enlist 30,000 men, 
some of whom possessed rusty gnns of other 
generations, others ancient swords of their fore- 
fathers and still others, the last being in the ma- 
jority, — armed only with pitch-forks and clubs. 
Of the artillery, there were just twelve field 
pieces and four mortars. This was the army 
which James was to lead against the finest 
equipped and ablest army of all Europe, the 
veterans of William of Orange. 

Siege of Deny.— Word was now received that 
William's contemplated invasion of Ireland was 
about to come to pass; and James determined 
to suppress the rising of the North before he 
arrived, dispatching the Duke of Berwick, a 
boy of nineteen years, but brave as any man, 
to the aid of Hamilton, he ordered a resump- 
tion of the war in that vicinity. The day after 
he was joined by Berwick, Hamilton seized 
Coleraine, and, leaving the town under the 
charge of Colonel O'Morra, he marched to 
Strabane. There he learned that the enemy to 
the number of twelve thousand were waiting to 
give him battle at Cladiford. Taking with him 
six hundred cavalry and three hundred and 
fifty infantry, Hamilton, with the Duke of Ber- 
wick hastened to Cladiford, where they routed 
the rebels, driving them through and beyond 
Raphoe. At Raphoe he was joined by Galmoy, 
with the aid of whose forces he determined to 
advance against Derry. Meanwhile James, 



210 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

notwithstanding the advice of Tyrconnell, deter- 
mined to march to the scene of action, arriving 
just as Hamilton was making terms with the 
rebels for the surrender of the Derry. Not 
satisfied with the terms of the treaty, he impru- 
dently changed them. This angered the citi- 
zens and they decided to hold the town until 
they received help from England. The Pro- 
testant minister of Donoghmore, a brave and 
determined man, named George Walker, was 
governor of the city, and under his leadership 
the besieged held out against the Jacobite army 
for three months. Finally on July 30th an Eng- 
lish fleet ran the blockade and, brought provi- 
sions to the starving citizens. A week later 
Hamilton raised the siege. In the skirmishes 
that occurred during the siege about 10,000 
rebels and 6,000 Royalists were killed. 

Expedition to Enniskillen.— Enniskillen once 
the seat of the Maguire chiefs, now held by the 
rebels, became the object of another attack on 
the part of the Jacobites. Surrounded and 
moated by Lough Erne it afforded a safe strong- 
hold for the Protestants and a position almost 
impossible to take. However, Lord Mount- 
cashel marched toward that town in order to 
besiege it. But in a skirmish with the Protest- 
ants on the way he was wounded and taken 
prisoner at Newtownbutler, and the expedition 
was abandoned. 

The Parliament of James II.— Meanwhile 



TYRCONNELL^S ADMINISTRATION 211 

James had established a method of jurisdiction 
in Ireland. A parliament was convened on 
May 27th, 1689, which remained in session until 
July 18th of the same year. Fifty-eight lords, 
six Protestant bishops and two hundred and 
twenty-four commoners, mostly Catholic, were 
present. No Catholic bishop was summoned. 
The king opened the parliament and, contrary 
to the bigotry of the age, showed great justice 
to the Protestants. His first act was to declare 
religious liberty. The other acts passed in his 
parliament were as follows: 

Act. 1 decreed that all persons should pay 
tithes only to the clergymen of their com- 
munion ; 

Act 2 repealed the Act of Settlement; 

Act 3 was an attainder against all persons 
bearing arms for William, and a declaration 
that all such persons would forfeit their prop- 
erty unless they surrendered before a day 
appointed. 

Act 4 provided for a tax of £20,000 a month 
on the country for the support of the king's 
army. 

Arrival of Marshal Shomberg.— Marshal 
Shomberg, one of William's ablest generals, 
arrived in Belfast Harbor with a fleet bearing 
eighteen regiments of infantry and fourteen of 
cavalry. He landed on August 14th and began 
his military operations by a siege of Carrick- 
fergus. The garrison at that fort, under the 



212 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

command of Colonel McCarthy Mor, resisted 
Shomberg's efforts to dislodge them for eight 
days, at the end of which, however, they were 
compelled to surrender for lack of ammunition. 

Schomberg at Dundalk.— Schomberg now 
proposed to march to Dublin, but fearing an 
attack from the enemy, he moved cautiously 
and slowly, spending an entire month in reach- 
ing Dundalk, where he remained for the winter. 
While in camp at Dundalk a disease broke out 
among his men and a great number of his Eng- 
lish soldiers died. Several times James, who 
had come to Dundalk for the purpose, offered 
to give him battle, but he refused to make a 
sally from his entrenchments. Many of his men 
deserted his camp and entered the camp at 
Drogheda where James had stationed his army. 
James, tiring of the inaction left Drogheda and 
returned to Dublin for the remainder of the 
winter, thereby ending the campaign of 1689. 

The Spring Campaign of 1690.— The hostili- 
ties were renewed early in the spring with the 
siege of Charlemont by the Williamites. Tiege 
'Regan and his garrison held that place 
against the enemy for several months, 1690 
surrendering only when they were 
reduced to a pitiable extremit^^ by starvation 
and disease. 

Arrival of French Allies.— In March Due de 
Lauzan, a French general, arrived with 6,000 
men and twelve pieces of artillery for field use. 



TYRCONNELL S ADMINISTRATION' 213 

These troops were not as great an acquisition 
to James as they seemed to be, for they were 
not soldiers of the regular army of France, but 
were composed mainly of Huguenots, Germans 
and English Protestants, w^ho had been prison- 
ers of war and were now given their freedom 
on condition that they would fight for James. 
The money, clothing and arms which James 
had expected from Louis of France were not 
forthcoming, for that monarch had enough with 
which to contend just then, and, advised by 
Louvois, his minister of w^ar, who was no friend 
of the English king, he did little towards aid- 
ing the Jacobite army. 

Arrival of William.— The English people, dis- 
satisfied with Schomberg's manner of campaign 
began to murmur against him, and William 
made preparations to come to Ireland in person. 
The report that De Lauzan had landed with aid 
from France hastened these preparations, and 
in June, 1690, William arrived in Ireland with 
an army of 50,000 men, mostly Swedes, Dutch, 
Huguenot-French, Prussians and Scotch-Cove- 
nanters. He brought also the best artillery 
ever seen in Ireland, comprising sixty cannon 
of the latest pattern. 

Preparations for Battle.— Upon learning of 
William's arrival James left Dublin with 20,000 
men and marched to Dundalk. William had 
landed at Carrickfergus. He now advanced to 
Newry. James retreated to Ardee. On June 



214 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

28th James took his position on the side of the 
Hill of Donore on the bank of the Boyne River. 
William encamped on an opposite hill. James, 
with the unfortunate lack of foresight that 
characterized his every movement, sent six of 
his twelve field pieces back to Dublin. With- 
out gun-smith or armorer to repair the remain- 
ing six, should they be damaged, he was now in 
a miserable predicament, and the outlook for 
the coming battle was not a bright one for the 
Jacobite army. It was now that his officers 
realized the inefficiency of their leader. James 
proved to be a man with a mind as variable as 
the winds; one moment he decided to oppose 
William's army; another, to fall back to Dub- 
lin. He lacked that firmness of purpose and 
cool determination to act instantly that would 
have carried him through, victorious, even in 
spite of the disparity of the two armies. 

The Battle of the Boyne.— Early on the morn- 
ing of July 1st William sent a division of 10,000 
men to take the bridge at Slane, a town west of 
the position which James held. At the same 
time he gave orders to the artillery on the hill 
to sweep the Jacobite army with a steady fire, 
thus to protect the advance of the men to Slane. 
James had been previously warned by his olfe- 
cers to provide against this manoeuver, and, as 
usual, neglected the warning. He now ordered 
the whole left wing of his army with his six 
field pieces to that point. It was too late. The 



TYRCO^^NELL S ADMINISTRATION 



215 



Williamite cavalry, in spite of the stubborn 
resistance of Sir Nial 'Xeill, whom James had 
persuaded the night before to station his com- 
pany at Rossnaree, a ford near the bridge of 
Slane, succeeded in crossing the river, but not 
until O'Neill had been mortally wounded and 



*:' 



mmm 









BOYNE OBELISK. 
Said to mark the spot where Schomberg fell. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

seventy of his company killed. The artil- 
lery crossed the bridge in the meantime. 
James had followed the left wing, think- 
ing that the most effective fighting would 
occur in its vicinity. William, however, 
seeing the success of his flank move- 
ment, now turned his attention to the 



216 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

eastern side and gave orders to force 
a passage at Oldbridge fords, meanwhile con- 
tinuing the play upon the whole field with his 
artillery. And the Irish infantry, in the face 
of this fire, without a field piece to answer, and 
the majority without guns or swords, armed 
only with pitch-forks and clubs, fought bravely 
and desperately until Hamilton and the young 
Duke of Berwick pitted the trained Irish guards 
against Count Solme's famous Dutch Blues who 
were considered the best infantry in the world 
at the time. The fierce attack of the Irish 
guards forced back the Dutch and the Brander- 
burghers, "William's favorite division, breaking 
through the ranks of the Huguenots also, and 
killing their commander, Caillemotte. Schom- 
berg rushed to the front to rally the Hugenots 
when a troop of Irish horse rode down furiously 
upon them creating a panic in their ranks and 
killing the brave old general. Hamil- 
ton was wounded and taken prisoner, and 
the Duke of Berwick would have shared the 
same fate had it not been for the courage of a 
trooper who, seeing him wounded and unhorsed, 
saved him from the enemy. Yet in spite of this 
gallant fighting, Tyrconnell, who was in charge 
of the right and centre, in the absence of 
James, could not, with the most skilful general- 
ship, contend with the fearful odds that Wil- 
liam now led down upon him. Veritable ava- 
lanches of men were poured upon the Irish, and 



tyrcoxnell's administration. 217 

the whole artillery was brought to bear on the 
raw recruits, who had not a single field piece to 
reply. 

William ordered an advance to Duleek ; 
James gave orders for a parallel march. The 
Irish army retreated in good order to that sit- 
uation, guarded by the Irish cavalry and the 
French infantry. At nine o'clock in the eve- 
ning the Irish made a last stand at Naul. A 
desperate battle ensued. James believing 
defeat to be inevitable, a belief which was not 
shared by his officers or men, now ordered Gen- 
eral Patrick Sarsfield, who had, much to his dis- 
taste, been compelled to act as body-guard of 
the king all day, thus losing all chance of effec- 
tive fighting, to accompany him on his retreat 
to Dublin. And James thus ran away from his 
brave Irish adherents even while they fought 
with the chance of victory in sight. Had the 
king listened even then to their advice, in the 
face of such odds, the battle would not have 
been lost. As it was, the loss of the Irish was 
no greater in number if not in proportion to 
that of the Williamites, in other words, for 
every Jacobite killed a Williamite lay dead on 
the field. And vain is the boast of the historian 
who declares the Battle of the Boyne a victory 
over the Irish. 

The Departure of James.— As soon as he 
reached Dublin, remaining only for a night's 
rest, James left that city for Kinsale where he 



218 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

embarked for Brest, placing Tyreonnell in com- 
mand of the army in his stead. Had he allowed 
him to order the affairs of battle from the begin- 
ning, he might then have been seated securely 
on a throne instead of fleeing in disgrace for 
the second time to France. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



TYRCONNELL'S CAMPAIGN. 

The Defense of Athlone.— Abandoning Dub- 
lin, Kilkenny, Waterford and Dungannon, Tyr- 
connell now followed the plan which Sarsneld 
had vainly presented to James, and ordered a 




ATHLONE CASTLE. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

general rally of the Irish to Athlone and Lim- 
erick,thus forming a line of defense at the Shan- 
non. Colonel Richard Grace, a veteran of the 
war of 1641, was in command of Athlone when 

219 



220 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

William sent 12,000 men and a detachment of 
artillery under General Douglas to take the 
town. Douglas arrived before Athlone on the 
17th of July,1690,and imperiously demanded the 
town to surrender. In answer, Colonel Grace, as 
imperiously drew a pistol from his belt and fir- 
ing it over the head of the messenger, 
declared that should the demand be 1690 
repeated, his aim would be directed at 
and not above the head of its bearer. Douglas 
began a bombardment of the fort, which was 
returned with zest by the Irish. At the end of 
a week news that Sarsfield was coming from 
Limerick to the aid of Grace frightened Doug- 
las and with the hope that he would conquer 
the old colonel before the arrival of Sarsfield, 
he redoubled his attack on the fort. Grace 
tauntingly hung out the red flag of defiance. 
In the meantime word came that Sarsfield was 
nearing Athlone, and Douglas was compelled 
to raise the siege and flee from that much- 
feared general. 

Fortification of Limerick.— The attention of 
both armies was now turned upon Limerick. 
That town was an important military position 
and it was of vital consequence to the army of 
Tyrconnell and Sarsfield to maintain it. It was 
a good post for navigation ; its natural divisions 
made it tenable ; and its citizens were brave and 
true; besides, it lay between two loyal prov- 
inces. When the army of Tyrconnell entered 



TYRCONNELL^S CAMPAIGN • 221 

its gates the citizens immediately lent their aid 
in the strengthening of the fortifications, both 
men and women working together in the 
entrenchments. De Lauzan, who was a cour- 
tier rather than a soldier, and was pining for 
the court of France, made objections to the city 
of LimxCrick as a military post, exclaiming that 
the place could be taken with roasted apples, 
so weak were its fortifications. So he and the 
other French allies left for France, taking with 
them all their ammunition and supplies. De 
Boisselau, however, remained and was named 
as governor of the city, and Sarsfield took 
charge of the cavalry which he placed on the 
Clare side of the Shannon. Although Tyrcon- 
nell was commander-in-chief, the defense of the 
city was in the hands of De Boisselau, the Duke 
of Berwick and Sarsfield. The Frenchman, on 
account of his experience in military engineer- 
ing, commanded the fortifications and succeeded 
in preparing a skilful defense by the 9th of 
August, when William arrived to face a sturdy 
opposition. 

The Beginning of the Siege.— William placed 
his batteries in position and then sent a mes- 
senger to De Boisselau demanding a surrender. 
A spirited refusal came as answer from the gov- 
ernor, and the siege began. William found the 
defense more enthusiastic than he had expected 
it to be. On Monday, August 11th, he was com- 
pelled to move his field train out of range of the 



222 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



Limerick guns, and almost immediately was 
forced again to remove himself from quarters 
which had become dangerous. Finding that 
the taking of Limerick was not the easy matter 




GENERAL PATRICK SARSFIELD. 

This patriot, exiled from his native country, led the Irish 

brigade to victory in the Battle of Landen on 

July 29th 1693, but was killed in 

the charge. 



he had supposed it to be, he decided to refrain 
from an attack until a siege train for which he 
had sent an order to Dublin had arrived. 



TYRCOXXELL^S CAMPAIGN ' 223 

Sarsfield's Ride. — General Sarsfield, the most 
popular leader of the Irish, received informa- 
tion of the expected convoy. Learning that the 
siege train was bringing to William a number 
of heavy battering-rams, siege-guns, tin-cov- 
ered boats*, and a supply of ammunition and 
provisions, Sarsfield determined to intercept it 
before it reached the Williamite camp, for he 
knew full well that, should that train reach 
its destination, the city was lost. Notwithstand- 
ing the opposition of the commander-in- 
chief the impetuous general, on Sunday 
night, rode with five hundred picked 
men out from the Clare side under 
cover of darkness. By hard riding they 
soon reached Killaloe which was twelve miles 
up the river from Limerick. From that point 
Sarsfield led his men across a ford near Bally- 
vally into Tipperary. He was now in the 
midst of enemies, for Tipperary was occupied 
by the Williamites. But accompanying him was 
Galloping Hogan, a Rapparee chief, whom he 
had chosen as guide. Hogan led the reckless 
troop into ravines of the Silver Mines through 
rough paths, and over dangerous passes, until 
they reached a wild gorge of the Keeper Moun- 
tains, where they remained for the rest of the 
night and lay close all day Monday. Monday 
night they continued their wild ride. Tuesday 



* These tin-boats were used for the purpose of bombarding 
a town from the river or harbor. 



224 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

morning at three o'clock they rode into the 
sleeping camp of the Williamite siege train at 
Ballyneety. Answering the startled sentry 
with the pass-word, which he had learned from 
a poor woman of the camp who had been 
deserted on road by the Williamites, Sarsfield 
cried out, *^ Sarsfield is the word'' and added 
^'Sarsfield is the man !" All was consternation 
in the camp. The bewildered Orangemen did 
not know where to turn, and in a considerably 
short time the five hundred cavalry men had 
cut down or routed the whole force. It was 
more like the visitation of an avenging angel 
than an attack of a human being, so short, so 
sudden, so overwhelming was the encounter. 
With humanity unequalled at the time, Sars- 
field removed the wounded Williamites, thus 
making a delay which might have cost him and 
his troopers their lives— for a detachment from 
William's camp w^as on its way to meet the siege 
train — and then he proceeded to load the cannon 
and bury their muzzles in the ground. Placing 
the ammunition and boats on the top of the can- 
non and sending his men to a safe distance, he 
himself lit the fuse. In a moment a terrible 
explosion occurred and the battering train of 
the Williamites was blown to pieces. Their 
object accomplished, Sarsfield, and his rough- 
riders returned to Limerick by the same cir- 
cuitous route they had followed. On Tuesday 
evening they entered the city, nothing the worse 



TYRCONNELL S CAMPAIGN 



225 



for their adventure. The joy and gratitude 
with which they were received was no more 
than they deserved, for this ride of Sarsfield 
was one of the most daring feats ever accom- 
plished in any land or at any time. 

The Renewal of the Siege.— William suc- 
ceeded in getting a convoy of siege guns from 
Waterford a few days later and renewed the 




SIEGE OF LIMERICK. 



attack. Sarsfield and De Boisselau, fearing the 
imminent destruction of the city by these heavy 
guns, ordered the women and children removed 
to the Clare side. Here it was that the women 
of Limerick exhibited a spirit that has made 
them famous the world over. Indignantly they 
refused to flee the danger which their husbands, 



226 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

fathers and brothers were willing to face, and 
standing courageously side by side with the 
men, they fought in defense of their homes. On 
August 27th the enemy made a breach in the 
wall near St. John's Gate and ten thousand men 
followed the storming party only to meet with 
an unexpected obstruction in the form of 
another entrenchment. A fierce hand to hand 
fight ensued. The people, men and women, 
armed with butcher-knives, axes, broken bot- 
tles, boiling water and various implements 
never meant for war, rushed to the aid of their 
garrison and fought furiously. Where a man 
fell a woman was as likely to take his place as 
not, and to die as he had died, for faith and 
country. At last the lines of the Irish were 
broken and the Williamites swarmed the town. 
The Brandenburghers, William's favorite regi- 
ment took possession of the Black Battery and 
were in the midst of an exulting cheer when, a 
mine which the clever and ingenious De Bois- 
selau had prepared beneath the battery for this 
contingency, was sprung and the whole regi- 
ment blown into the air. This disastrous end- 
ing of the faithful regiment gave courage to the 
people and victory was easily theirs. A joyful 
shout went up from the starving citizens and 
it was echoed by those on the Clare side of the 
river. The victory was won, and William was 
forced to withdraw his men from the city which 
they had so nearly gained. 



tyrconnell's campaign ^ 227 

The Departure of William.— The next day 
William gave orders for another assault; but 
his men had had enough of battling with the 
Limerick men and women, and they dared not 
advance even when he offered to lead them himx- 
self. In a rage William left his cowardly army 
and shipped for England by way of Waterford. 

The Spring Campaign. 

Encouraging News from France.— Early in 
the year of 1691 Tyrconnell, who had gone to 
France soon after the victory of the Limerick 
men, returned with a small fund of money 
given him by Louis XIV. He also brought to 
the weary but resolute Irish the encouraging 
news that the French king was about to furnish 
them aid greater than he had given heretofore. 

Arrival of St. Ruth.— On the 8th of May Lieu- 
tenant-General St. Ruth arrived from France 
with clothing, provisions, arms and ammuni- 
tion for the Irish soldiers; but he brought no 
French troops nor money. By order of James 
II. he took command of the army, and Sarsfield 
the savior of Limerick, a man to whom all the 
Irish nation looked for advice and encourage- 
ment, the rightful and actual leader of his 
people, was by the coming of this French offi- 
cer of James' choosing, placed in a subordinate 
position. Murmurs came from the people 
against this denial of Sarsfield 's rights; but 
that patriot silenced these and without bitter- 



228 HISTOKY OF IRELAND 

ness cheerfully took any place that gave hhn 
opportunity to defend his beloved country. 

The Pall of Athlone.— General De Ginckle, at 
the head of 18,000 Williamites left Mullingar, 
his rendezvous, to march to Athlone, on the 7th 
of June. St. Ruth, against the advice of his 
Irish officers, insisted on holding the town and 
ordered Colonel Fitzgerald who was in com- 
mand of the garrison to hold out until his arriv- 
al. Hoping to delay the attack until St. Ruth 
would reinforce his garrison of three hundred 
and fifty men, Fitzgerald sallied out to meet De 
Ginckle before he reached the town. Guarding 
the approaches to the town, the garrison dis- 
puted every step of the way and gained four or 
five hours in time. But St. Ruth was slow in 
coming from Limerick and De Ginckle with his 
splendid artillery soon leveled the walls of the 
town, and began an assault on ''English town," 
that part of Athlone which stood on the Lein- 
ster side of the Shannon River. Fitzgerald with 
all that was left of his 350 men, exhausted as 
they were by two days of continuous fighting, 
now faced a storming party of nearly five thou- 
sand men. Two hundred of his men were killed 
before the breach was finally effected ; and the 
remaining few, pressed back by the thousands 
of Williamites, gradually reached the bridge 
which lead to ''Irishtown" where they took a 
determined stand. There packed closely 
together, the men in front held back the enemy 



TYRCOXXELL's CAMPAIGN" ^ 229 

while those behind broke down the arches of 
the bridge. Suddenly a shout from behind 
^'Back, back, men, for your lives,'' told them 
that the bridge was giving way, and they 
turned to cross the crumbling structure. All 
but the last company reached safety. These, 
left to the mercy of the infuriated enemy, had 
no intention to be cut to pieces by Williamites. 
"With a yell of defiance, echoed with one of 
exultation from the opposite shore, the brave' 
fellows plunged into the river, and under the 
rain of bullets from the enemy's guns, they 
swam to the Connaught side. 

St. Ruth, who had reached Ballinasloe, 
received the news of the fall of Englishtown 
and hurriedly set out with 1,500 men and 
encamped two miles from Athlone. He 
appointed Lieutenant-General D'Usson gover- 
nor of the city which Fitzgerald knew better 
how to defend. 

De Ginckle meanwhile continued to pour shot 
and shell upon the town, and the place was in 
ruins. On the 27th of June, under cover of 
the night and a heavy bombardment, the Wil- 
liamites succeeded in <3onstructing a bridge in 
the place of the one so skilfully destroyed by 
Fitzgerald and his men. The next morning the 
Irish discovered the new bridge. Sergeant 
Custume with ten volunteers faced sure death 
and rushed out from the Irish breast-works 
and set to the work of demolishing the struct- 



230 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ure. Before they had finished the eleven lay 
dead. But there were ten more to take their 
places ; out of these ten two alone escaped alive 
when the last beam of the bridge had gone 
down in the ruins. 

Thus it was that several times when it was 
almost in the hands of the enemy the town was 
saved by the daring of Irishmen. Yet it was 
left to the French officers, St. Ruth and D'Us- 
son to lose the prize which the Irish had gained 
by such sacrifice and valor. Declaring the 
siege about over and the Jacobites the victors, 
the vain-glorious, over-confident St. Ruth drew 
off his army to a distance of three miles, and 
gave a ball in honor of the occasion. Word 
was brought to him that the enemy was prepar- 
ing for another attack; but he discredited it 
and when Sarsfield, recognizing the danger, 
interfered and offered him advice he resented 
it. In the midst of the quarrel which resulted 
between the Frenchman and the Irish general, 
whom he insultingly told to keep his place, 
another messenger arrived with the news that 
the town was captured. And Athlone which 
Fitzgerald's faithful few had given their lives 
to save was lost through the folly and obsti- 
nacy of a Frenchman, whom James II., safe in 
the Court of France, had appointed over men 
more worthy. 

The Battle of Aughrim.— De Ginckle, with 
reinforcements, that increased the number of 



tyrconnell's campaign 231 

his men to 30,000, slowly followed St. Ruth, 
w^ho had withdrawn to Ballinasloe and again 
in the face of objections of his officers, was pre- 
paring for a pitched battle. Early on the morn- 
ing of July 11th he came upon the Irish army 
drawn up on Kilcommodan hill near the village 
of Aughrim. TheWilliamites attempted to dis- 
lodge the Irish, and all day the battle was 
w^aged, every fresh attack being repulsed by 
the Irish. At sunset St. Euth, with all the con- 
fidence that lost Athlone, after the last unsuc- 
cessful attempt on the part of the enemy to 
take the hill, led his men from their strong posi- 
tion against the retreating forces, exclaiming 
that he had won the day and now would drive 
the enemy all the way back to Dublin. In the 
midst of his boast he was killed by a cannon- 
shot and the men halted in confusion. The 
enemy, taking courage, rallied, turned and 
made another attack. Sarsfield to whom St. 
Ruth had not confided his plan of battle was at 
a loss and could not continue the maneuver 
which the Frenchman had meditated and the 
battle was lost. A general retreat was ordered, 
some of the survivors marching to Galway, 
others, including all the cavalry, to Limerick. 

Surrender of Galway and Sligo.— Ten days 
later Galway surrendered. Soon after that 
Sligo, the last western garrison, under the com- 
mand of Tiege 'Regan, the former commander 
of Charlemont, surrendered and Tiege 'Regan 



232 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

with his six hundred brave men were compelled 
to leave the town and march to Limerick. 

Death of Tyrconnell.— On the 14th of August 
Tyrconnell stricken with apoplexy died at Lime- 
rick. He had often been rash in his policy, but 
there were many feats accomplished during the 
war which were due to his untiring energy. 

Surrender of Limerick.— On August 25th De 
Ginckle, reinforced with all the troops he could 
collect, surrounded the city of Limerick as far 
as he could on land and bombarded it by means 
of an English fleet which had sailed up the 
river to his aid. Sixty large guns and nine- 
teen mortars were put in play upon the beleag- 
ured city. On the tenth of September a breach 
was finally effected but the enemy from their 
previous knowledge of the citizens of Limerick, 
feared to enter the breach. On the night of the 
15th, through the negligence of Brigadier Clif- 
ford, who was guarding the Clare side, a pon- 
toon bridge was laid by the Williamites, and, in 
the silence of the night, without the noise of 
even a whisper, a large detachment crossed. 
Resistance was now useless and on the 24th a 
truce was agreed upon. In the bitterness of 
their grief the citizens broke their implements 
of defense, crying, ''We need them no longer, 
Ireland is no more !" On October 3rd the mili- 
tary and civil articles of surrender were signed 
by the Williamite and the Jacobite commis- 
sioners. 



tyecoxxell's campaigk" ' 23-3 

The Exile of the Irish Army.— The military 
articles of capitulation gave the Irish soldiers, 
rapparees and volunteers liberty to leave Ire- 
land and find a home in any country except 
England and Scotland. They also provided 
^Hhat the garrison of Limerick would march 
out with all their arms, guns and baggage, 
' colors flying, drums beating and matches 
lighting'/' Thus ended the Jacobite war in Ire- 
land. A few days after a French fleet sailed 
up the Shannon, bearing arms, ammunition, 
clothing, food and money to the Irish. It was 
too late, for, as Sarsfield said, ^'Though a hun- 
dred thousand Frenchman offered to aid us 
now, we must keep our plighted troth." The 
treaty of Limerick had been signed. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE VIOLATION OF A TREATY. 

The Treaty of Limerick.— The Treaty of 
Limerick was composed of two sets of articles, 
military and civil. The civil articles numbered 
thirteen. They provided for the accordance of 
the same priviliges to Catholics which had been 
granted them during the reign of Charles, the 
pardon and protection to all who had borne 
arms for James on condition that they take an 
oath of allegiance to William and Mary, per- 
mission to nobles and gentlemen to carry side 
arms and to keep a gun in their houses, and the 
removal of goods and chattels without search. 
Article IX. prescribed the nature of the oath to 
be taken by Roman Catholics who would * ' sub- 
mit to their majesties' government.'' Article 
X. provided that no person breaking the 
articles of the treaty would thereby cause 1691 
others to lose or forfeit the benefit of 
them. Articles XL and XII. designated the 
time of the ratification of the civil articles — 
* ' within eight months or sooner. ' ' Article XIII. 
arranged for the payment of Jbhe debts of 
Colonel John Brown, of the Irish Army to sev- 
eral Protestants. The articles were signed on 
the famous Treaty Stone before the city of 

234 



VIOLATION OF A TREATY 



235 



Limerick, on the 3rd of October, 1691. The 
commission signing in the name of King Wil- 
liam comprised Lord Scravenmore, Generals 
Mackay, Talmash, and De Ginckle, and the 
Lords-justice Porter and Coningsby; the men 
signing for the Irish were Patrick Sarsfield, the 
Earl of Lucan, Viscount Galmoy, Sir Toby But- 




THE TREATY STONE OF LIMERICK. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures'*. 

ler, and Colonels Purcell, Dillon, Brown and 
Cusack. On the 24th of February, 1692, the 
king and queen ratified and confirmed the 
Treaty of Limerick at Westminster, England. 
The Violation of the Treaty.— In 1692 the 
Parliament met and framed in direct vio 
lation of the treaty, an oath contradic- 1692 



236 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

tory to that prescribed by Article IX., by 
this means prohibiting Catholics to become 
members of Parliament. 

Confiscation of Lands.— As in other years of 
methodical persecution, a commission to inves- 
gate forfeited estates was now established, 
which, in a short time, confiscated 1,060,792 
acres of land from the Catholics. Thus began 
a course of conduct which emphatically dis- 
proved the vaunted fair-play and justice of 
England's government. In the history of civi- 
lization no greater violation of governmental 
honor has ever occurred than that which took 
place immediately after the signing and ratifi- 
cation of the Treaty of Limerick. 

The Parliament of 1695.— In 1695 Lord Capel, 
as viceroy, summoned a parliament in Ireland, 
during the several sessions of which a number 
of Penal laws were passed. These laws 
deprived the Catholics of the means of giving 
their children Catholic education, either at 
home or abroad ; they took from Catholic par- 
ents the natural right of guardianship of their 
children ; they forbade Catholics to carry arms ; 
and they banished all priests and bishops 
from Ireland. In the san^e parliament 1695 
an Act of Confirmation of the Articles 
Signed at the Surrender of Limerick was 
passed. But the articles thus confirmed were 
not those articles signed by Sarsfield and the 
other members of the Irish Commission, They 



VIOLATIOX OF A TREATY ' 237 

comprised the Treaty of Limerick changed to 
suit the Protestant Parliaynent of Ireland, Just 
before the act was passed, a petition was pre- 
sented by Robert Cusack, Francis Segrave and 
Maurice Eustace asking permission to discuss 
the bill with the officials, before it was passed. 
The petition was rejected. 

The Molyneux Case.— In 1698, William Moly- 
neux, member for the University of Dublin, 
published a book entitled, The Case of Ireland 
Stated. This book w^as an argument against 
the method used by England in the attempt to 
rule Ireland by the subordination of the legis- 
lative powers of that country to those of 
the English Parliament. The production 1698 
of such a book made evident the fact that 
the spirit of resistance still lived, but in another 
form, a form which is the basis of Irish policy 
of the present day. The English House of 
Commons unanimously condemned it as con- 
taining sentiments dangerous to the cro\^ai and 
the people of England, appealing to William to 
suppress the book and the feeling it might 
engender. William promised to enforce the 
laws of Ireland's dependence on England; but 
he died before he could accomplish his design. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE PENAL CODE. 

The Sacramental Test.— In 1703, at the insti- 
gation of the House of Commons in Ireland, the 
Duke of Ormond, lord-lieutenant of Ireland, 
presented a bill to the English Parliament. 
The object of this bill was the Prevention of the 
Further Growth of Popery— as if all means had 
not been taken heretofore to eradicate the 
Roman Catholic religion from the hearts of the 
people. In England some of the tory 
members of parliament were not in favor 1703 
of the bill, but they weakly submitted to 
the whig element and made no open protest to 
this fanatical measure. To subdue their con- 
sciences, however, these weaklings added a 
clause which, they believed, would prevent the 
votes of the Dissenters from being cast for it. 
This clause provided for the Sacramental Test. 
It prohibited membership of parliament or the 
maintenance of public offices to all who would 
not receive the Sacrament of the Established 
Church. This test thus prevented Presbyte- 
rians, Puritans and other dissenting sects from 
holding offices of public trust as well as it did 
Catholics. The Dissenters, however, were 
promised immunity from the execution of the 

. 238 



THE PENAL CODE * 239 

law; and they voted the passage of the bilL 
Other provisions of the bill were as follows : 
1. that, should the eldest son of Catholic par- 
ents become a Protestant, the estate of his par- 
ents would become his property, his parents to 
be recognized only as his tenants ; 2, that, should 
the eldest son remain a Catholic, the estate 
would be equally divided among the sons of the 
family; 3. that a Catholic father could not be 
guardian of his own children who had become 
Protestant; 4. that Catholics could not buy 
estates, but that they could lease the same for 
thirty years and no longer, and, should the farm 
or estate thus leased yield a profit of more 
than one-third of the rental thereof, any Pro- 
testant who desired to possess the land could 
take it without the permission of the original 
tenant. 

''Honorable*' Service to the Government.— 
In a short time the holding of land was made 
almost an impossibility, and, as a consequence, 
the Irish were fast becoming denationalized. 
This new persecution resulted, as do all perse- 
cutions of a people, in the rise of a class of 
cringing sycophants, which found its perfection 
in the professional informer who now sprang 
into existence. Catholic proprietors, who were 
loyal to their religion, perverted Catholics 
whose consciences would permit them to be no 
more than lukewarm Protestants, and most of 
all. Catholic priests whom the people did their 



240 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

best to conceal, now became the prey of these 
informers. Rewards were offered; and, in 
answer there came from the rank and file of the 
descendants of Cromwell's hypocrites, who 
called themselves colonists of Ireland, men who 
were willing to follow this profession of hunt- 
ing defenseless men. The role of informer 
even became an honorable one, for on the 
17th of March, 1705, the House of Com- 1705 
mons passed a resolution that ^* inform- 
ing against Papists was an honorable service 
to the government"— as if any body of men 
could create honor from dishonor. 

The Act of 1709.-^ To provide, for the further 
eradication of Catholicism, an act was passed 
in 1709 which contained the following clauses : 

1. Any priest renouncing his religion and 
becoming a Protestant would be paid twenty 
pounds a year (a short time later the govern- 
ment raised the reward to forty pounds) ; 

2. Catholics who became Protestant, 

yet did not educate their children in 1709 
the Protestant doctrine, could not hold 
public offices or be employed in any capacity 
by the Crown; 

3. Those who did not take the oath of 
abjuration could not teach school either pri- 
vately or publicly, the penalty of such of- 
fense being a fine of ten pounds ; and those who 
entertained or hired such tutors would be fined 
accordingly ; 



THE PEXAL CODE . 241 

4. Catholics could be summoned to answer 
inquiries of magistrates concerning where, 
when and by whom the last Mass which 
they attended was said, and where lived the 
priest; and that refusal to answer under oath 
would be punishable by a year's imprisonment. 
Thus the reign of Queen Anne marked the most 
bitter sufferings of the Catholic Irish. Hearing 
Mass was prohibited and violations of this law 
resulted in cruelties indescribable. 

The Faith of Our Fathers.— Yet in spite of 
these injustices, in spite of danger of life and 
loss of estate, the weary, broken-spirited Irish 
continued loyal in their devotion to their God— 
the God of the persecuted. The Mass-rock to 
this day remains in many places, a silent proof 
of the faith and sufferings of our ancestors. 
The Irish priests, often famous scholars of great 
continental schools, in those days of persecu- 
tion performed deeds of heroism which will 
always claim for the Soggarth of Ireland a 
warm spot in the heart of every descendant of 
Irishmen, be he Catholic, Protestant or Infidel. 
For, notwithstanding the Acts against Catho- 
lics, in spite of the base and sordid zeal of the 
informers, even in the face of death. Mass was 
celebrated in Ireland,— not in church or chapel, 
but as in the days of the Early Christians when 
they, too, were persecuted by unbelievers, un- 
der the dome of Ireland's sky and in the shelter 
of Ireland's glens, mountain-caves or fields. It 



242 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

was customary, before the coming of the priest 
to a certain locality, to pass the word around 
that Mass would be said at an appointed place. 
There, upon the day designated, the few daring 
men and women gathered to supplicate their 
God in the manner taught them. Posting senti- 
nels and guarding their priest with anxious 
care, these Christians knelt before an altar made 
upon a bowlder, perhaps, or a shelving rock, 
and offered their prayers in the great cathedral 
of Nature for redemption from their bondage 
and suffering. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

DEAN SWIFT AND THE NEW SPIRIT OF 
FREEDOM. 

The Drapier's Letters.— In the reign of 
George I., an Englishman named William Wood 
obtained a patent from the king whereby he 
was authorized to supply Ireland with a copper 
coinage of half-pence and farthings to the 
amount of eight thousand pounds. By this 
scheme, which was similar to the Mississippi 
Bubble and that of the South Sea, Wood pro- 
posed to produce a debased coinage and thus 
enrich himself and other court favorites who 
were in the venture. One man who discovered 
the motive of Wood immediately published a 
book, which he called The Drapier's Letters, 
and by this means disclosed the scheme, thereby 
reducing the attempt to an absolute failure and 
causing a heavy loss to befall Wood and his 
dishonest company. The book was written 
anonymously, and a reward was offered by the 
government for the detection of the author, but, 
although it was commonly known that John- 
athan Swift, the Protestant Dean of St. Pat- 
.rick's Cathedral, was the author of this vig- 
orous and effective work, no one claimed the 
reward. Wood, however, received an indem- 

243 



244 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

nity of thirty thousand pounds. The Drapier's 
Letters not only disclosed the nature of the 
patent which George had issued, it also was 
instrumental in reviving the spirit of Irish na- 
tionality and in weakening the religious big- 
otry which was slowly killing all growth of 
national pride. In the midst of threats and 
revilings, Swift, a Protestant clergyman, alone 
from his class stood out against injustice and 
proscription. He was the follower of the prin- 
cipals of Molyneux, in allusion to which in his 
book, he declares, ^^you are and ought to be as 
free a people as your brethren in England." 

The Right of Appeal.— In 1719 a dispute 
arose between Hester Sherlock and Maurice 
Annesly regarding the right to certain prop- 
erty. The Court of Exchequer decided in favor 
of Annesly, but on appeal the House of Peers 
reversed the judgment. Annesly then brought 
the case before the English House of Peers, 
which affirmed the verdict of the Exchequer. 
The House of Peers in Ireland declared the ap- 
peal to be illegal, alleging that an appeal to 
the king through his parliament in Ireland was 
final. The sheriff refused to execute the order 
of the Exchequer and that of the English Peers, 
and was fined in consequence of his refusal ; the 
Irish House removed the fine and complimented 
him on the courage which he manifested in the 
affair. 

The Sixth of George I.— An Act was now 



DEAN SWIFT 245 

passed by the English Parliament which quelled 
all attempts toward legislation in the House of 
Peers in Ireland independent of the English 
Peers. This Act decreed that the parliament 
in Ireland was subordinate to and dependent 
on the consent of the English parlia- 
ment in the enactment of its laws and 1719 
their execution, also that the Peers of 
Ireland had no authority to reverse the judg- 
ments rendered by the courts. 

The Election Bill of 1727.— In 1724 the polit- 
ically inclined bishop of Bristol, Dr. Boulter, 
was appointed to the Protestant see of Armagh. 
His policy was to disunite the followers of 
Molyneux and Swift by the underhand means 
of bribing and coercing those in his power. In 
1727 he succeeded in slyly inserting a clause 
in a bill regulating the elections, which 
clause prohibited Catholics from voting 1727 
for members of parliament. 

The Charter Schools.— Boulter now crowned 
his deeds of dishonor by a studied effort to 
proselytize Catholic children. Receiving a 
charter for a Protestant school corporation, he 
established schools in w^hich Catholic children 
were to be instructed in the doctrines of Prot- 
estantism. In one of his letters he gives 
his reason for the need of such schools, 1733 
saying, *^the obstinacy with which they 
adhere to their own religion occasions our try- 
ing w^hat may be done with their children to 
bring them to our church." 



246 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The Patriot Party.— Molyneux and his suc- 
cessor, Swift, had awakened a new spirit of 
resistance in Ireland, and soon a few independ- 
ent and courageous men came forth from the 
crowd of submissive ones. Henry Boyle, An- 
thony Malone, Sir Edward O'Brien and his 
'son. Sir Lucius, were the mainstay and prop 
of this new life in the parliament. In 1741 an- 
other patriot came to the notice of the 
public ; he was Charles Lucas, an apoth- 1741 
ecary. His writings, however, soon 
caused his exile from Ireland; but he was des- 
tined to return and render more aid to his 
country. 

The Earl of Chesterfield.— The name of Lord 
Chesterfield, well known to the world of fash- 
ion, letters and diplomacy, is equally famous 
in the history of Ireland. In 1745 he became 
viceroy of Ireland, and, in those days of 
bigotry, proved himself a man of liberal opin- 
ions and justice. Refusing to enforce 
the stringent laws against the Catholics, 1745 
he allowed the members of that suffering 
religion to attend Mass in their chapels and 
to practice their faith in freedom. His kind- 
ness and justice, however, did not coincide 
with England's policy in ruling Ireland, and 
he was recalled at the end of eight months. 

Meeting of Catholics.— On account of the new 
movement of liberality which Swift and his 
followers had instituted, the penal days were 



DEAN SWIFT * 247 

gradually gliding into the past, and a tendency 
toward religious toleration was evident among 
all classes. The Catholics, encouraged by the 
relaxation of persecution, began to demand 
their rights. Under the auspices of Dr. 
John Curry, the author of The Review of 
the Civil Wars of Ireland, and two other prom- 
inent men, O'Connor of Belangare and Wyse 
of Waterford, a meeting was held in Dublin. 
Those who attended this meeting were 
mostly Dublin merchants. An address to" 1757 
the Lord-lieutenant in which they pro- 
fessed their loyalty to the crown was signed 
and forwarded. A gracious reply was re- 
ceived. 

The Whiteboys.— The tyranny of the land- 
lords of Munster had reached such an excru- 
ciating point that, spiritless as the poor tenants 
had become, something of the old Gaelic pride, 
lying in the ashes of their ruined lives, at last 
burst into flame,, feeble though it was. The 
land-lords had raised the rents far above the 
value of the lands. This new raise was due to 
the fact that the tenants were allowed certain 
liberties that heretofore they had not enjoyed. 
The people, both Protestant and Cath- 
olic, arose against the added injustice, 1761 
and in Tipperary an organization was 
formed with the redress of these grievances as 
its object. It afterwards became known as the 
Whiteboys. Soon the example of Tipperary 



248 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

was followed by the men of Waterford, Cork 
and Kerry, and tyrannical landlords began to 
receive a punishment that had long been de- 
served. 

Barbarity of Magistrates.— Rumors of ''a 
popish plot" were manufactured by the fright- 
ened landlords ; and a large military force was 
sent to the scenes of disturbance. Sir Thomas 
Maude, William Bagnal, Parson Hewiston of 
Tipperary and John Bagwell were the origi- 
nators of the plot. These men now began a 
series of brutal and barbarous deeds that were 
worthy of the minds of demons. Unsatiated 
with the holocaust of victims which was served 
them from among the poor farmers, they turned 
their attention to Father Sheehy, the parish 
priest of Clogheen, a town in the County of 
Tipperary. 

Death of Father Sheehy.— By his courageous 
denunciations of the landlords and tithe-gath- 
erers. Father Sheehy incurred the wrath of the 
magistrates, Bagnal, Maude, Bagwell and that 
of the venomous Parson Hewiston, and he be- 
came the object of their plots and fabrications. 
They resolved to do away with him; and to 
this end they accused him of high treason and 
offered a reward for his apprehension. Al- 
though friends were willing to spirit the priest 
away to France, the good man refused to 
escape a law^ which he had not violated. He 
Avrote to the Secretary of State, offering to ap- 



DEAN SWIFT * 249 

pear for trial, if he were tried in Dublin instead 
of Clonmel, where he knew full well justice 
would not be given him by the drunken and 
riotous officials. He was given the right to 
appear before the Dublin court and was ac- 
quitted for lack of evidence. Baffled in this 
attempt to destroy the priest, his enemies now 
manufactured a charge of murder, and con- 
victed the innocent man without trial. 
Three days after Father Sheehy gave up 
his young life on the gallows for a deed 1766 
which he had not perpetrated. Not con- 
tent with hanging him the magistrates of Eng- 
lish justice caused his body to be drawn and 
quartered. 

Hearts of Steel and Hearts of Oak.— At the 
time when the Whiteboys came into existence 
another association sprang up in the North. 
This was the Hearts of Oak, a union of men 
who resented the compulsory road-making and 
the exorbitant rents. Unlike the Whiteboys 
who were suppressed w4th great cruelty, these 
farmers of the North received justice from Par- 
liament. But later on in 1769, when the Hearts 
of Steel boys organized, they were more se- 
verely dealt with than had the Hearts of Oak 
been. To escape injustice many of these men 
emigrated to America, where they were soon 
given opportunity to assail England's security. 

The Attack Upon the Pension List.— The 
English Privy Council had taken upon itself the 



250 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

right to bestow pensions upon whomsoever it 
chose. These pensions were drawn from the 
Irish revenue. In 1767, excluding the 
military pensions, the amount of money 1767 
given away in compensating governmen- 
tal proteges was £72,000. As a result the 
national debt was assuming gigantic pro- 
portions; and the burden of the people, 
who were forced to pay proportionately 
increased taxes, was insupportable. The Pat- 
riot Party, which was now under the leadership 
of Henry Flood and Henry Grattan, attempted 
to reform this abuse, but it was not successful. 
The root of the evil lay in Parliament and the 
party turned its attention to the reformation of 
that corrupt body. 

Limitation of Parliamentary Session.— The 
same year an Act was passed through the 
agency of Flood and Grattan, which limited the 
duration of Parliament to eight years. A new 
parliament was elected, but on account of the 
independent spirit displayed by its members 
it was dismissed, and was not allowed t6 meet 
for four years. 

The Effect of the American War on Ireland. 
— The spirit of freedom arose not alone in Ire- 
land in this century. In America, where Irish 
men and women, driven from their homes by 
English injustice, toiled to build new homes in 
the western continent, side by side with other 
exiles of governmental and religious oppres- 



DEAISr SWIFT • 251 

sion, a flame was enkindled, fanned by the dar- 
ing spirit of sons of Erin,* which developed 
a conflagration that soon destroyed all English 
power in the colonies. And out of the ashes 
arose a new government,— the United States of 
America. It was natural that the Irish in Ire- 
land, upon the opening of hostilities between 
England and her colonies, would show sympa- 
thy in a substantial manner. But England for- 
bade all attempts of the Irish to aid the col- 
onies. Lest the patriots might supply the 
Amiericans with provisions an Act was passed 
prohibiting the exportation of Irish commod- 
ities. This paralyzed Irish agriculture and 
commerce. The tenants were unable to dispose 
of their produce and consequently failed to 
meet the exorbitant rents; the merchants be- 
came bankrupt and factories were closed ; 
meanwhile the pension list grew. 

The Volunteers.— Pressed for troops by the 
rebellion of the colonies, England had taken 
every available man from Ireland and the coun- 
try was left defenseless. Privateers began to 
prey upon the coast towns, and, receiving no 
help from the government which had compelled 
them to draft men for the war, and which now 
Avas overwhelmed with troubles of its owm, the 
citizens of Belfast started a movement that 



* See The Irish Race in America, by Edward O'Meagher 
Condon, Isaac Barre and Patrick Henry were men of Irish 
blood, as well as Jefferson, Carroll and many others who 
were prominent in the American Revolution. 



252 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

resulted far differently from what the govern- 
ment expected. With no desire to tamely sub- 
mit to the raids of privateers they began 
to form volunteer companies. Other 1779 
towns followed the example and soon 
100,000 men were enlisted. The government, 
cojved by the American war, willingly supplied 
these men of the North with arms and allowed 
them to choose their own officers. At its birth 
the Volunteer army of Ireland was nothing 
more than an endeavor of the Protestants to 
protect their homes ; but gradually a new spirit 
found its way into their ranks; it was the 
spirit of national independence. In the early 
period of the organization the men enlisted were 
Protestants, loyal to the Crown, but as the 
movement spread through Munster many Cath- 
olics joined, and they, with the Protestant pa- 
triots, soon changed the object of the body to 
accomplish their own purposes. 

Demand for Free Trade.— Previous to the 
opening of Parliament in 1779, Grattan, Burgh 
and Daly, encouraged by the Volunteers, agreed 
to demand free trade for Ireland. When Par- 
liament met, backed by the military 
body, and aided by Flood, Hutchinson 1780 
and Gardiner, they succeeded in having 
an amendment to that effect passed. But not 
until February, 1780, did Ireland gain the es- 
tablishment by law of Free Trade, and with it 
commercial equality with England. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE STRUGGLE FOR LEGISLATIVE INDE- 
PENDENCE. 

The Dungannon Convention.— On February 
15th, 1782, two hundred and fifty delegates 
from the Volunteer Corps of Ulster met at Dun- 
gannon. In this convention resolutions were 
drawn up and passed, declaring : 

1. That the king, lords and commons of 
Ireland alone had the right to legislate for the 
country. 

2. That the powers exercised by the privj' 
councils of both England and Ireland under 
Poyning's Act were unconstitutional. 

3. That all the ports of Ireland were free 
by right to all foreign countries not at 

war with England. (Grattan, with all the 1782 
generosity that characterized his deal- 
ings with the Catholics, magnanimously added 
the fourth resolution:) 

4. That as Irishmen, as Christians, and as 
Protestants, the delegates of the Volunteers re- 
joiced in the relaxation of the penal laws 
against their fellow-countrymen. 

The Repeal of the Sixth of George I.— The 
sixth Act of the Parliament of George I. had 

253 • - 



254 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



decreed that the Irish Parliament was subject 
to and dependent on that of England in its en- 
actment and execution of all its laws. This 
meant that Ireland was to have no right to 
legislate for herself; that there was no Irish 
parliament, but a body of men who were merely 
agents of the English Parliament, nothing more 




PARLIAMENT HOUSE, DUBLIN. 

Now the Bank of Ireland. 
From J. S, Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

than a number of figure-heads. In 1782, backed 
by the Volunteers, the National Army of Ire- 
land, Henry Grattan prepared a program of 
action for the repeal of this Act and for inde- 
pendence. On the 16th of April of that year, in 
answer to an address made to the members of 



THE LEGISLATIVE STRUGGLE 255 

the House of Commons in Ireland by the Sec- 
retary of State, Grattan made a brilliant speech, 
setting forth the principles of the Dungannon 
Convention and concluded with the Irish Dec- 
laration of Independence, in which he declared : 
*^That the kingdom of Ireland is a distinct 

kingdom, with a parliament of her own, 

; that there is no body 

of men competent to make laws to bind the 
nation, but the kings, lords and commons of 
Ireland, nor any parliament which hath any 
authority or power of any sort whatever in 
this country, save only the parliament of Ire- 
land.'' The Act was repealed and the era of 
independence began. 

The Renunciation Act.— A question now 
arose as to the extent of English concession in 
regard to the repeal of the sixth, George I. 
Grattan asserted that by the repeal Eng- 
land gave up a claim to Irish legislature. 1783 
Flood, more conservative and cautious, 
declared the meaning of the simple repeal to 
be doubtful, and insisted on ^^ express renun- 
ciation." The English Parliament of January, 
1783, decided the question by passing an Act 
of Renunciation, which admitted the ' ' exclusive 
rights of the parliament and courts of Ireland 
in matter of legislature and judicature." 

The Characters of Flood and Grattan.— 
Henry Flood entered Parliament in 1759 as 
member for the County of Kilkenny. His gen- 



256 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ius as an orator and statesman soon became as 
apparent as did his patriotism. In a short time 
he became leader of the Patriot Party, but 
though leader of that nationalist body, he was 
not, strictly speaking, a nationalist, for, blinded 




HENRY GRATTAN. 

with prejudice, he could not favor the eman- 
cipation of the Catholics. This fact prevented 
him from gaining the full confidence of the 
Irish people in that era of toleration which 
had dawned on Ireland. Flood was declining 
in political power when young Grattan entered 



THE LEGISLATIVE STRUGGLE 257 

Parliament in 1775, fresh and iixipetuous for 
the work of reform. Unlike Flood, he was in 
sympathy with the Catholics, and to him was 
due much of tlie tolerance shown them by other 
Protestant leaders. Purely national in spirit, 
his desire was an Independent Ireland, Cath- 
olic and Protestant; and with that object in 
view he devoted his great talents to the re- 
generation of his country. 

The Reform of Parliament.— The Parliament 
in Ireland at this time had but few true repre- 
sentatives of the people. The Commons 
was composed of three hundred mem- 1783 
bers, of whom sixty-four were members 
for counties and one hundred and seventy-two 
were members for boroughs owned by a few 
lords or rich commoners. In this way one hun- 
dred and seventy-two seats of the Irish Com- 
mons were actually owned by rich men. In 
1783 the first business placed before Parliament 
when it opened, was its reform in regard to 
these owned seats. During the session of Par- 
liament another body was also sitting in Dub- 
lin; this was the Convention of the Volunteer 
Corps, in which one hundred and sixty dele- 
gates, planned the Reform of Parliament. Sev- 
eral members of the Volunteers were also mem- 
bers of Parliament; and these were active in 
both legislatures. Finally Flood introduced in 
Parliament the plan of reform concurred to 
by the Convention. This plan was for a Prot- 



258 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

estant Parliament, for in spite of the efforts 
of Father Arthur 'Leary, a patriot priest, and 
a few friends of the Catholics, who were in 
attendance at the Volunteer Convention, the 
majority of delegates were intolerant of relig- 
ious freedom. Flood's Bill for Reform was, 
however, rejected and the Parliament ad- 
journed. Flood, bitterly disappointed, retired 
from the Irish Parliament as a member. Soon 
after the Convention dissolved, but two days 
later it met again in order to frame an address 
to the throne. This was the last work of im- 
portance done by the Volunteers. As a body 
their influence was dead. They were eventually 
disarmed at the instigation of William Pitt, 
prime minister of England, who immediately 
caused the regular army of Ireland to be in- 
creased to fifteen thousand. 

The Result of Native Legislation.— The five 
years of native rule which followed the institu- 
tion of a Parliament in Ireland, weakly national 
though it was, had a wholesome effect upon the 
people. Factories opened, trade increased, and 
commerce grew, and a new spirit of hopeful- 
ness spread over the land, lending it a vitality 
that gave great promise of future prosperity. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE UNITED IRISHMEN. 

The Catholic Committee.— Back in the years 
1774 and 1778, bills for Catholic Relief had 
been passed in Parliament. These bills, though 
of no benefit to the major portion of the Cath- 
olic Irish, gave opportunity to a few ambitious 
men to acquire wealth and social equality with 
the Protestants. Thus empowered, these men, 
prominent among whom were John 
Keogh, Edward Byrne and Richard Mc- 1790 
Cormick, formed a Committee in 1790, 
for the purpose of gaining further concessions 
from the Protestant government. The Catholic 
peerage and gentry who had preferred social 
ostracism to the denial of their religion, were 
about to join the democratic middle class, when 
a suggestion of French Revolutionary prin- 
ciples, which were at that time insinuating 
themselves among all organizations for social 
and political reform, frightened them from the 
ranks of nationalism. With the loss of these 
men, however, came a gain in the form of an 
offer of help from Theobald Wolfe Tone and 
Simon Butler, two young barristers, both of 
brilliant intellect and ardent disposition, and 
patriotic to the core. Besides these, many other 

259 



260 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Protestants and Dissenters came to the aid of 
the Committee. 

Establishment of the United Irishmen.— 
Throughout Europe, society was greatly af- 
fected by the French Revolution ; and men were 
looking to the dawn of a new era when repub- 
licanism would take the place of monarchy, and 
old standards would fall before new and equal- 
izing methods of government. In Ireland where 
the struggle for freedom had been most bitter, 
it was but natural that the suffering country 
would give birth to an organization whose prin- 
ciples would be similar to those of the French 
Directorate. So when Wolfe Tone was invited 
to Belfast by the Volunteer club which was or- 
ganized there, it was easy for him, coming from 
Dublin with his object of establishing a union 
between the Catholics and Protestants of Ire- 
land and making a National Ireland, to intro- 
duce his theories and found the Society of 
United Irishmen. In October, 1791, the 
first club of the United Irishmen met 1791 
in Belfast, with Samuel Neilson, Thomas 
Russell and others interested in the welfare of 
their country, as members. The motives of the 
society agreed upon were : to gain vote by bal- 
lot, household suffrage, annual parliaments for , 
Irishmen of all denominations, and the union 
of all Irishmen. So rapidly did the membership 
increase that it was soon necessary for Tone to 
organize a branch in Dublin, where Simon But- 



THE UNITED IRISHMEN . 261 

ler became chairman and Napper Tandy sec- 
retary. 

The Catholic Convention.— In 1792, two hun- 
dred Catholic delegates held a convention in 
Dublin. "With Simon Butler and the son of the 
famous Edmund Burke to defend them against 
the accusations of the Castle authorities that 
their action was illegal and unconstitutional, 
they framed a petition to the king ask- 
ing for complete emancipation. A com- 1792 
mittee was then appointed and sent to 
London to wait on George III. with this peti- 
tion. The king, who was about to go to war 
with France and feared trouble with his Cath- 
olic subjects at this crisis, received the petition 
with favor, and the committee returned to Ire- 
land, where it received in turn the attention 
of the viceroy and the other officials, which 
the year before had been denied to John Keogh 
when, alone, he attempted to gain concessions 
for the Catholics. 

Acts of 1793.— In 1793, as a result of the 
Catholic Convention, an Act was passed grant- 
ing Catholics the right to vote for members of 
Parliament, as well as the right to hold several 
offices, both civil and military. Com- 
plete emancipation, however, had not 1793 
been conce'ded, for the higher positions 
of lord-lieutenant, lord-deputy and lord-chan- 
cellor w^ere still withheld from them; and, at 
the same time that this Act for Catholic Relief 



262 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

was passed in Parliament, there were others 
also passed which prohibited conventions of 
delegates for the purpose of petitioning the 
king, authorized the search of houses for arms 
at any time, and ordered a levy of 16,000 mili- 
tia, as well as an increase of the regular army. 

The Peep o'Day Boys and the Defenders.— 
These Acts were the outcome of the persecution 
to which the Catholic farmers of Ulster were 
subjected at the hands of their Protestant 
neighbors. The Protestants had formed an or- 
ganization, calling it the Peep o'Day Boys, the 
object of which was the expulsion of the Cath- 
olic farmers from Ulster. Their plan was to 
make raids upon the Catholics at night, sur- 
prising them and driving them out of their 
homes, which they burned or seized for their 
own use. To protect themselves, the Catholics 
formed a counter-association, which they 
named the Defenders. The United Irishmen 
now entered the quarrel as peacemakers, and 
with this object they called meetings, only 
to have them dispersed by the authority of the 
government. Several United Irishmen were 
arrested, among whom was Archibald Rowan, 
who, in spite of the eloquent defense, made for 
him by the Patriot leader, John Philpot Cur- 
ran, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment; 
he, however, escaped from prison to France, 
whence he afterwards emigrated to America. 

Changes in Administration.— In 1795 the 



THE UNITED IRISHMEN - " 263 

Irish were made happily expectant by the ap- 
pointment of Lord Fitzwilliam as lord-lieuten- 
ant. Fitzwilliam arrived in Ireland on the 4th 
of January, 1795, and immediately began to 
dismiss the former Castle officials, appointing 
in their places, Curran, Ponsonby and others 
of the Patriot Party. To Grattan, he offered 
the chancellorship ; that nationalist, however, 
proudly refused to take an office under the Eng- 
lish government. Catholic emancipation was 
again introduced in Parliament, but, as the 
majority was still composed of bigoted Protes- 
tants, the bill was rejected. For three months 
Fitzwilliam endeavored to govern the country 
on the principles of Henry Grattan ; but 
the oligarchical party of the Castle sue- 1795 
ceeded in influencing the king and the 
English Parliament against him, and he was 
recalled. Grattan afterwards accused the 
English prime-minister, William Pitt, of send- 
ing Fitzwilliam over as a bait for the subsidy 
of £1,800,000 and 20,000 men which the Irish 
Parliament had gratefully voted toward carry- 
ing on the war with France. Earl Camden 
succeeded Fitzwilliam and he soon appointed 
other officials hostile to the people. Ireland 
once more was the scene of dissatisfaction. 
Coercion and repression now took the place of 
independence and Catholic belief. The Peep 
o'Day Boys, who had begun to call themselves 
Orangemen, encouraged by the turn affairs had 
taken, became more aggressive than ever. 



264 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The Insurrection Act.— In the session of 1796 
Parliament passed the Insurrection Act, which 
Curran aptly termed ''The Bloody Code.'' By 
this act : those taking the oath required 
for admission to the Society of United 
Irishmen were guilty of capital offense; 
magistrates had the power to proclaim martial 
law at will; all men found abroad between 
sunset and sunrise, if unable to give a reason 
satisfactory to the magistrate, were to be sent 
to serve in the navy, as were those who had 
not some lawful employment. 

The Indemnity Act.— At the same time an 
Act was passed which protected the magis- 
trates from prosecution for ' ' exercising a vigor 
beyond the law." Grattan called this Act "an 
invitation to break the law.'' 

The Riot Act.— Another Act, termed the Riot 
Act, gave the officials the power to disperse 
any number or gathering of people by force 
of arms, without notice. 

The Secession of the Patriots.— Grattan, Cur- 
ran, Arthur O'Connor, Lord Edward Fitzger- 
ald and other members of the Patriot Party, 
despairing of their attempts to persuade Par- 
liament of the righteousness of their re- 
form policy, now refused to accept re- 1796 
election to that corrupt body. At the 
time of the secession of these men from Parlia- 
ment, Ireland lost a friend in England, for Ed- 
mund Burke, the noted Irish-Englishman of 
British polities, died that year. 



THE UXITED IRISHMEN 265 

Reconstruction of the United Irishmen.— A 

new order of affairs now took place among the 
United Irishmen; they had tried peaceful re- 
form and agitation with ill success; and there 
was but one other course for them to pursue, 
—that was an armed struggle for their 




EDMUND BURKE. 

rights. To this end the society adopted a mili- 
tary organization, and appointed a directory of 
five men, who were to reside in Dublin and 
govern the society throughout the country. 
Amonoj the members of this Directory were 



266 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Thomas Addis Emmet and Dr. William Mc- 
Nevin. At the close of the year 1796 the United 
Irishmen numbered 500,000 men, of whom more 
than one-half were armed with guns and pikes. 
Lord Edward Fitzgerald, formerly a distin- 
guished officer of the English army in Canada, 
gave his services to the organization, and, on 
account of his military experience, was a val- 
uable acquisition. Brave and amiable in spirit, 
this young nobleman became the most popular 
of the Irish heroes of the time. 

French Expedition to Ireland.— Negotiations 
were opened at once with France. Wolfe Tone, 
who had been forced to flee from Ireland, hav- 
ing been involved in the trial of Reverend 
William Jackson,* had gone to America, and 
from that country back to France, where he 
conferred with the officials of the Directorate 
of that republic. He had also sought the ad- 
vice of the American Minister to France, James 
Monroe. As a consequence of his work a fleet 
of ships, carrying 14,000 stands of arms, as well 
as artillery and ammunition, under the com- 
mand of General Hoche, arrived in Bantry 
Bay in December, 1796. The landing was to 
have been effected the following day, but, dur- 
ing the night a storm arose and drove the ships 
back to sea. On account of the contrary winds 



* Jackson was a Protestant minister who was arrested for 
treason. He was a member of the United Irishmen. Upon 
his arrest, knowing conviction to be inevitable and to cheat 
the government, he committed suicide. 



THE UXITED lEISHMEN 267 

I the fleet could not return to harbor and was 
compelled to set sail for Brest, whence it had 
come. 

Martial Law and the Torture System.— To 
force an insurrection and thus gain the end it 
desired,— a union between England and Ire- 
land, the government had done all that could 
drive a most peaceable people to rebellion. It 
quartered its yeomanry and militia upon the 
citizens, disarmed and defenseless as they were ; 
and the soldiers thus quartered, rabid Orange- 
men, Prussians and Welch, committed such 
fearful outrages upon the unoffending people 
that Sir John Moore, an Englishman, upon de- 
scribing their brutality, exclaimed : ''If I were 
an Irishman, I would be a rebel.'' Martial law 
had been proclaimed in Ulster and fiendish 
magistrates took advantage of this new order 
by torturing men and women to extort con- 
fessions of the existence of arms and ammuni- 
tion in their houses or vicinity, and of the 
whereabouts of United Ireshmen. Men were 
flogged, picketed, hung by the thumbs until 
they fainted and were revived to be tortured 
anew ; caps of pitch were put upon their heads, 
and every mode of torment invented by demons 
was tried upon innocent people who had not 
the wherewith to defend themselves. Even hu- 
mane officials who protested against these out- 
rages suffered for their humanity. Many of 
these latter resigned from the government 



268 HI3T0RY OF IRELAND 

rather than be accessories to such crimes. Ma- 
jors Sirr and Swan, two of the most diabolical 
of persecutors, in order to accomplish their end, 
had gathered from the vilest of the criminal 
class a number of degenerate men and women 
whom they used as informers, false witnesses 
and accusers. These were called the Battalion 
of Testimony. 

Arrest of United Irishmen.— On March 12th, 
1798, fifteen Leinster delegates of the United 
Irishmen were arrested at the house of Oliver 
Bond, through the information of one Rey- 
nolds, who subsequently received five thousand 
pounds and the promise of one thousand a year 
for this deed. On the same day Thomas Addis 
Emmet, Dr. McNevin, Henry Jackson and John 
Sweetman were arrested in their homes and 
sent to Newgate Prison. Arthur O'Connor and 
Father James Quigley had met the same fate 
a month previously. The latter, soon after his 
arrest, was hung on such slight evidence that 
even the lord-chancellor, Thurlow, declared 
him to have been murdered. In the seizure of 
the delegates at the Bond house the authorities 
had expected to catch Lord Edward Fitzger- 
ald, but they were disappointed. That unfor- 
tunate nobleman was surprised on the 18th of 
May in the house of Nicholas Murphy, where, 
after a struggle in which he was set upon by 
several of the militia, he was arrested. Two 
weeks after he died from the wounds which 
he received while defending himself. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE RISING OF 1798. 

The Immediate Causes.— The leaders of the 
United Irishmen, in the hope of obtaining aid 
from France, had counselled the suffering peo- 
ple to delay resistance and to prevent local out- 
breaks until by authoritative information they 
would learn of a general rising. But the out- 
rages committed by the soldiery, the torture 
system, the house-burnings, the military exe- 
cutions and the arrest of the leaders compelled 
the people to make an immediate resistance. 

The Plan of Campaign.— The day appointed 
for the rising was May 23rd. War was to begin 
at the same hour all over the country. The 
signal of the commencement of hostilities was 
the stopping of the mail-coaches. In Dublin, 
the camp of Loughlinstown and the barracks 
at Chapelizod, where many of the soldiers were 
secretly United Irishmen, were to be captured. 

Plans Frustrated in Dublin.— On May 21st 
the brothers, John and Henry Sheares, who 
had replaced those arrested in the leadership 
of the movement, were also imprisoned on the 
information of a person named Armstrong, who 
had gained their confidence in a most despicable 
manner. From this event the plans regarding 

269 



270 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Dublin were defeated and the city was put 
under martial law. 

The Rising in the Country.— The country peo- 
ple gathered their forces at Rathfarnham and 
Santry and began to march upon Dublin. The 
troops, forewarned, were prepared and at- 
tacked them, killing many and hanging those 
taken prisoners. The people at Naas were suc- 
cessful in the beginning of their rising. They 
met the soldiers bravely and fought until, 
outnumbered and outdisciplined, they were 
routed. A company of North Cork Militia, 
noted for its cruelty, received a just punish- 
ment from the farmers at Prosperous. They 
were burned to death in the barracks, or killed 
with pitchforks in their attempt to escape the 
flames. In many other instances throughout 
the country the militia suffered a long-delayed 
and well-merited punishment at the hands of 
the former victims, of its cruelty. In several 
small places the trained soldiery was too strong, 
too well armed for the simple farmers with their 
flails and pitchforks, and succeeded in dis- 
persing them. 

Wexford Before the Rising.— In Wexford the 
condition of the people was better than that 
of other districts; the rents were not exor- 
bitant; the landlords were not cruel, nor were 
they absentees; and the country was generally 
peaceful and prosperous. Until the coming 
of the North Cork Militia, the United Irishmen 



THE RISING OF 1798 271 

were so few that Lord Edward Fitzgerald had 
not included the county in his category of or- 
ganized counties. But peace and prosperity 
soon gave way to the diabolical atrocities of 
the North Cork Militia and Lord Kingsbor- 
ough. And the cries of the widowed and or- 
phaned, mingled with the groans of the dying 
and tortured, were now heard instead of the 
contented murmur of an undisturbed farming 
district. . 

The Wexford Rising.— After many scenes of 
house-burnings and brutal murders the crisis 
was reached when Father Murphy of Boula- 
vogue found his chapel in ruins one day and 
the homes of his people demolished. There in 
a neighboring wood, with his frightened and 
homeless flock surrounding hixii, he preached 
the gospel of armed resistance, declaring it 
by far better to die fighting bravely in the 
field than to be tortured to death by the arch- 
fiend, Kingsborough and his following of 
Orangemen. Calling for volunteers, the priest 
took the field with a handful of men armed 
with pitchforks and clubs and met a company 
of the North Cork Militia on Oulert Hill, kill- 
ing every man of the company. Following up 
this signal victory with the seizure of Camolin 
and Ferns, and armed with the weapons and 
ammunition found in these garrisons, the little 
band marched to Enniscorthy under the joint 
leadership of Father Murphy and Edward 



272 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Roche. The garrison at this place was defeated 
and fled to Wexford; General Fawcett, with 
reinforcements, came to the aid of the soldiers, 
and he, too, was compelled to retreat. At 
Gorey Colonel Walpole attempted to stop the 
insurgents, but he was so badly beaten that 
he and his company fled, leaving three cannon 
on the field. Then General Loftus, with 1,500 
men, attacked the Wexford men; he, too, met 
the same fate, and was forced to hasten back 
to Tullow. 

Evacuation of Wexford.— By this time the 
men from the hamlet of Boulavogue had gath- 
ered reinforcements enough to form a goodly 
sized company. Encamping on Vinegar Hill 
near Enniscorthy they announced their inten- 
tion of taking the town of Wexford. Con- 
sternation reigned among the loyalists of that 
town, and most of them fled to the ships in 
the harbor; but the main portion of the town 
was national in its sentiment, and it rejoiced 
openly at their discomfiture. The garri- 
son, with reinforcement of yeomanry, made 
a sally from the town in an attempt to 
retake some howitzers which the insurgents 
had taken from General Fawcett. Their colonel 
was shot dead and they retreated into the town. 
A council was now called and the authorities 
sent a commission to treat with the national 
army in regard to a surrender. The Irish gen- 
erals insisted on the laying down of arms ; and 



THE RISIXG OF 1798 ^ 273 

!' they sent commissioners into the town, who 
found it evacuated, the soldiers and the town 

I officials having taken advantage of the parley 
to withdraw. The militia and the yeomanry 
in their resentment at the success of the in- 
surgents, burned and killed with vindictive 
ferocity, sparing neither age nor sex, as they 
fled from Wexford. Captain Keogh of the 
national army became commander of the town 
and Bagnal Harvey was elected commander-in- 
chief of the army. The insurgents now di- 
vided into two camps, part remaining on Vine- 
gar Hill and part removing to Windmills Hill. 
By this time the whole county, with the excep- 
tion of Newtownbarry, Ross and Duncannon, 
was in the hands of the nationalists. 

Battle of New Ross.— The town of Ross was 
of great importance, it being the open door 
into Munster. For this reason the royalists 
had reinforced the garrison to the number of 
two thousand men, and fortified it with several 
pieces of cannon. On the fifth of June Com- 
mander-in-chief Harvey, from his position on 
Corbett Hill, which he had taken the day be- 
fore, sent a popular soldier named Matthew 
Furlong with a flag of truce and a written re- 
quest for the surrender of the town. Furlong 
v\^as shot dead as he advanced to the enemy's 
lines. This violation of the rules of war so 
angered the insurgents that they needed no 
orders to begin battle. Rushing upon the town, 



274 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

by the very strength of their fury they swept 
the garrison before them, and, in spite of Bag- 
nal's entreaties, they fought like madmen, tak- 
ing full revenge for the death of their favor- 
ite, Furlong. Ten hours after the town was 
again in the hands of the disciplined troops 
of the royalists, and a scene of terrible slaugh- 
ter ensued. Entrapping a number of insur- 
gents in the houses, the soldiers set fire to the 
houses and shot all who attempted to escape. 

Battle of Arklow.— On the 9th of June Father 
Michael Murphy led a detachment of men from 
Gorey to an attack on Arklow, County Carlo w. 
The garrison there had been reinforced and 
was lined up outside the town awaiting the 
nationalists. A pitched battle took place, in 
which the raw peasants of Wexford conducted 
themselves as bravely and systematically as if 
they had been disciplined soldiers; but, just 
as the royalist general had given an order for 
a retreat, the ammunition of the insurgents 
gave out, and with victory within their grasp 
they were compelled to return to Gorey. Their 
brave priest-leader. Father Michael Murphy, 
did not lead this band of men back as he had 
led them out, for he had been killed while 
leading a charge against the enemy. 

The Battle of Vinegar Hill.— The tide of for- 
tune had turned against the Wexford men; 
and on the green crest of Vinegar Hill they 
now awaited in desperation the coming of the 



THE RISING OF 1798 



275 



concerted forces of the regular army ordered 
from every point within a radius of fifty miles 
to march upon the forlorn band of men and 
women. General Lake, on the morning of June 
21st, at the head of 15,000 soldiers, surrounded 
the hill, marching from four directions under 
cover of a rain of bombshell and cannon-ball 



r 


IS 


"■%: '■■ ;|*:: 


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Mj 


g 


^«i^^f»"' 




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.:-: ^..,--.j ,..■ 




''■■ "'t 




^K' ■|i|,m|| '"'^^WlTmnil 


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THE TOWN OF ENNISCORTHY. 
Vinegar Hill in the Background. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



which his artillery poured upon the insurgents. 
The heroes on the hill, answering with a de- 
risive yell, made desperate efforts to return 
the fire. Again the sickening news that had 
lost them many a battle came through the 
ranks— the ammunition had given out. But 
the Wexford men would not give up so easily. 



276 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

With defiant cheer and mocking laugh, they 
fought, with bare fists or gunstocks, hand to 
hand with the enemy, encouraged by the wild 
praj^ers of their women, until they were com- 
pletely hemmed in by the whole English army. 
Yet, even then, they fought for an hour and a 
half, until they gained an opening for them- 
selves and their women, and retreated to Wex- 
ford. 

Battle of Goff's Bridge.— The last engage- 
ment of the Wexford took place at ' Goff 's 
Bridge. General Moore of the royalists had 
been ordered to attack a camp of the insur- 
gents at Lacken Hill. A force of nationalists 
met him at Goff 's Bridge and fought until their 
ammunition gave out. Soon after the insur- 
gents disbanded, some taking refuge in the 
Wicklow Mountains, some fleeing to Meath, 
others retiring to Kilkenny, where, under the 
leadership of Father John Murphy, they fought 
until overwhelmed. After an engagement at 
Scollagh Gap Father Murphy and a single com- 
panion were on their way to Tullow when they 
were caught by a band of royalists and 
^'hanged without delay or ceremony." 

Barbarity of the Yeomen.— Savage as had 
the yeomen and militia been before the rising, 
their barbarity paled before the terrible scenes 
which followed the outbreak. They were be- 
yond civilized comprehension. The hospitals 
of Enniscorthy and Wexford, with their help- 



THE RISING OF 1798 - 277 

less inmates, were burned; the Hessians, the 
mercenary troops of England, vied with the 
Orangemen in their efforts to surpass all ideas 
of brutality; they shot all whom they met on 
the streets; they burned houses, desecrated 
churches, and, maddened with blood-lust, they 
committed excesses that human pen cannot de- 
scribe. Yet this was done with the connivance 
of the generals. General Hunter, under martial 
law, hanged Father Roche, Bagnal Harvey, 
John Colclough, Matthew Keogh, Edward Hay 
and many others. 

The Result of the Rising in Other Counties. 
— Meanwhile the king's forces had over- 
whelmed the Leinster men, and William Byrne, 
^^the hero of his county," suffered the penalty 
of hanging for his long-continued defiance of 
the king's men. His brother. Garret Byrne, 
was banished from the country. In Dublin 
many persons suspected of being United Irish- 
men or sympathizers of the movement were 
publicly flogged at the orders of Beresford and 
Mayor Sandy. In Tipperary Judkin Fitzger- 
ald continued his injustice and cruelty without 
interruption until, finally, action was found 
against him for five hundred pounds' damage 
by a man named Wright, whom, though inno- 
cent, he had caused to be flogged publicly. 

The Amnesty Bill.— Camden, the hated vice- 
roy, was recalled and Lord Cornwallis sent to 
take his place. Cornwallis showed a kinder 



278 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

policy than had his predecessor. He immedi- 
ately offered protection to all insurgents who 
would lay down their arms; and at his desire 
the Parliament, though loath to do so, yet re- 
specting him on account of his friendship with 
the king, passed the Amnesty Bill. This bill 
included all except those in custody, or those 
guilty of murder, officers of the United Irish- 
men, deserters from the yeomanry and militia 
and thirty-one persons named in the bill. The 
brothers, Henry and John Sheares, with Mc- 
Cann and Esmond, were hanged, and twenty 
principal men of the United Irishmen were im- 
prisoned in Fort Augustus. 

The French at Killala.— Scarcely had the ris- 
ing of Ninety-Eight been suppressed when a 
French frigate arrived in Killala Bay, carrying 
a thousand men. Joined by the peasantry of 
Mayo, General Humbert, who was in command 
of the detachment, marched to Castlebar, where 
General Lake, with 6,000 men, was encamped. 
Humbert charged upon the English with his 
one thousand soldiers and handful of peasants 
and drove the 6,000 panic-stricken royalists 
across the country to Tuam. The route of their 
flight to this day is known as the ^^ Races of 
Castlebar." They had not the time to take 
with them fourteen cannon and two stands of 
colors, which became the trophies of the 
French. Humbert now crossed the Shannon 
and there awaited a French force which he 



THE RISING OF 1798 . 279 

expected to arrive at another port. Lake, thor- 
oughly frightened at the quick maneuvers of 
the Frenchman, had called upon Cornwallis for 
aid, and with a concentrated force ten times 
greater than Humbert 's army, the English sur- 
rounded him at Ballinamuck on the 8th of Sep- 
tember, 1798. There the brave Frenchman, 
with his soldiers and peasants, fought against 
great odds for two hours and then, hopelessly 
overpowered, he surrendered. Four hundred 
Mayo men lost their lives in this battle; and 
a number of others were soon after executed 
by court-martial. 

Hardi's Expedition.— Two weeks after the 
Battle of Ballinamuck Napper Tandy, w^ho had 
been exiled, and Wolfe Tone arrived with a 
small expedition under command of General 
Hardi. There were ten vessels in all. Tone, 
accompanied by Admiral Bompart, arrived in 
the vessel ^^Hoche" and sailed into Lough 
Swilly on October 10th. Wolfe Tone's ship 
was attacked by a large English fleet, and for 
six hours a battle waged. Finally the ^^Hoche" 
foundered and her officers were made prisoners. 
Tone, upon being recognized, was sent to Dub- 
lin, where he was tried by court-martial. He 
pleaded for a soldier's death, but the court 
sentenced him to be hanged. By the efforts of 
the able lawyer, Curran, it was proven that 
as martial law had ceased, and as Wolfe Tone 



280 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

had not taken a military oath, his sentence was 
illegal. An order was obtained by Curran for 
a trial before a civil court ; but it was too late, 
for Tone, rather than die the ignominious death 
which the court-martial had decreed, had killed 
himself before the good news reached him. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE UNION AND EMMET'S ATTEMPT. 

Preparations.— The English government had 
gained its end in precipitating an insurrection. 
The insurgents, crushed and despairing, were 
numb to all sense of the danger which now 
threatened the country— a Union with England. 
Preparations for the passage of the Act of 
Union began. The Catholics were promised 
emancipation when the bill would have been 
passed; the Protestants were assured of the 
safety of their church through the same act. In 
spite of these preparations and promises, when 
the Parliament met on January 22nd, 
1799, Ponsonby, Parsons, Plunkett and 1799 
Bushe successfully resisted the attempt 
to unite the two kingdoms. The parliament 
was then prorogued until January of the fol- 
lowing year. Meanwhile what Cornwallis 
termed the ''dirty work" began. All who had 
been opposed to the Union were dismissed from 
office. To make places for the followers of 
Lords Clare and Castlereagh, who were the 
leaders of the unionists, new offices were cre- 
ated. Bribes were generously scattered among 
the weak ones and twenty-eight new peers were 
created, besides these, twenty-two promotions 
in the peerage were made. 

281 



282 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The Act of Union.— In this manner the gov- 
ernment succeeded in filling the seats of Parlia- 
ment with its own nominees. On January 15, 
1800, Lord Castlereagh proposed the plan of 
the union. Parsons moved an amendment that 
it was desirable to maintain the independence 
of the Parliament in Ireland as agreed upon in 
1782. Grattan, who had just been returned as 
member for Wicklow, and had risen from a sick- 
bed to make a fight for his old parliament, de- 
generate though it was, even from its begin- 
ning, spoke for two hours against the proposal 
of Castlereagh. He insisted that Parliament 
could not end its own existence and many 
agreed with him. But Castlereagh, with the 
money and coronets of Clare's bestowal had 
done their ^^ dirty work"; and in spite of the 
old patriot's eloquence and logic, the amend- 
ment was rejected. On May 21st, Lord Cas- 
tlereagh introduced the Union Bill and two 
weeks later it was passed. It had been pre- 
viously passed by the English Parliament. On 
August 2nd the king signed the bill and 
on January 1st, 1801, the Act of Union 1801 
between England and Ireland took ef- 
fect. 

Provisions of the Bill.— Among the provisions 
of the Act of Union were : 

1. That twenty-eight temporal lords would 
be elected for life by the whole peerage in Ire- 
land, and that four spiritual lords would be 
chosen by rotation of sessions. 



THE UNIO^^ ' 283 

2. That these could sit in the English House 
of Lords ; that all peers would be permitted to 
sit in the House of Commons as representatives 
of an English constituency; and that the num- 
ber of members elected to the House of Com- 
mons would be limited to one hundred. 

3. That the Established Church of Ireland 
would be united with that of England and 
would continue to the end of time. 

4. That all members of Parliament would be 
compelled to take an oath denying the right of 
pre-eminence, ecclesiastical or spiritual, of any 
foreign power, and condemning certain doc- 
trines of the Catholic Church as *' idolatrous 
and superstitious." 

5. That Ireland was to supply two-sevenths 
towards general expenditure of the United 
Kingdom for twenty years. 

6. That the public debt of Ireland, which 
was seventeen million pounds, was to remain a 
separate charge, and must be paid out of the 
revenue of Ireland until it would be two-fif- 
teenths of that of England, when a uniform 
tax would be imposed. 

7. That the courts of justice should continue 
in the same manner as formerly, the final appeal 
to be made to the House of Lord*. 

Robert Emmet. — The spirit of '98 had not 
died out of the hearts of all Irishmen. Robert 
Emmet, a younger brother of Thomas Addis 
Emmet, conceived a plan of seizing Dublin 



284 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



Castle and inaugurating a rising throughout 
the country. Young, brave and handsome, this 
boy-patriot had interested Napoleon Bona- 
parte, who, in his plans to descend upon Eng- 




ROBERT EMMET. 
Patriot and Martyr. 

land, encouraged him with the promise of aid. 
AVith a few others, courageous as he, he 
established depots of arms and fixed a 1803 
day, the 23rd of July, for the rising. By 
some unfortunate accident the plan failed. The 
Wicklow men and those from Kildare did not 
arrive at the appointed time. Three hundred 



THE UNION . 285 

Wexford men had come ; but they were ignor- 
ant of the plan of attack. So Emmet, with no 
more than eighty men, marched to attack 
the castle. On the way, Emmet and his 
men were joined by a riotous rabble of 
the city; and the young man knew that, 
with this noisy addition to his number, he 
had little chance of success. They had not 
gone far when they met the carriage of Lord 
Kilwarden, a friendly and humane judge, which 
they passed without offering any violence to 
the occupants, the judge, his daughter and his 
nephew, the Reverend Mr. Wolfe. But not so 
with the rabble that followed them. Surround- 
ing the carriage these men dragged the judge 
and his nephew from it and killed them. Em- 
met, hearing of this outrage, hastened back and 
taking the young woman in his arms carried her 
to a neighboring house. Then, shamed and in- 
dignant at this act of lawlessness committed by 
men who called themselves his followers, he 
withdrew from the rioters, who, bereft of his 
leadership, were soon dispersed by the soldiers. 
Arrest of Emmet.— Emmet left Dublin imme- 
diately after this attempt to seize the castle, 
and proceeded to Wicklow, where he gave out 
orders for the postponement of the rising in 
that county, Wexford, and Kildare. His friends 
now sought to effect the escape of the young 
patriot ; but he refused their offers to smuggle 
him out of the country, because he wanted to 



286 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

bid farewell to his betrothed, Sarah Curran, the 
daughter of the orator and patriot. In his 
attempt to see her, he was arrested on August 
25th. About three weeks later he was tried on 
the charge of high treason. The so-called trial 
lasted but one day, the jury returning the ver- 
dict without leaving their seats. When asked 
if he had anything to say before the judge 
would pronounce the sentence of death upon 
him, Emmet replied in a speech that has become 
famous. He said : 

^^I have been charged with that importance 
in the emancipation of my country, as to be con- 
sidered the key-stone of the combination of 
Irishmen; or, as your lordship expressed it, 
^the life and blood of the conspiracy.' You do 
me honor overmuch; you have given the sub- 
altern all the credit of a superior. There are 
men in this conspiracy who are not only 
superior to me, but even to your own concep- 
tions of yourself, my lord— men before the 
splendour of whose genius and virtues I should 
bow with respectful deference, and who would 
think themselves disgraced by shaking your 
blood-stained hand. 

''I do not fear to approach the Omnipotent 
Judge to answer for the conduct of my whole 
life ; and am I to be appalled and falsified by a 
mere remnant of mortality here ? By you, too, 
although, if it were possible to collect all the 
innocent blood that you have shed in your un- 



THE UNION • 287 

hallowed ministry in one great reservoir, your 
lordship might swim in it. 

*^Let no man dare, when I am dead, to charge 
me with dishonor ; let no man attaint my mem- 
ory, by believing that I could have engaged in 
any cause but that of my country's liberty and 
independence ; or that I could have become the 
pliant minion of power, in the oppression and 
misery of my country 

*'If the spirits of the illustrous dead partici- 
pate in the concerns and cares of those who 
were dear to them in this transitory life, oh! 
ever dear and venerated shade of my departed 
father, look down with scrutiny upon the con- 
duct of your suffering son, and see if I have, 
even for a moment, deviated from those prin- 
ciples of morality and patriotism which it was 
your care to instil into my youthful mind, and 
for which I am now about to offer up my life. 
My lords, you are impatient for the sacrifice. 
The blood which you seek is not congealed by 
the artificial terrors which surround your vic- 
tim—it circulates warmly and unruffled through 
the channels which God created for noble pur- 
poses, but which you are now bent to destroy 
for purposes so grievous that they cry to 
Heaven. Be yet patient ! I have but a few more 
words to say— I am going to my cold and silent 
grave— my lamp of life is nearly extinguished 
—my race is run— the grave opens to receive 
me, and I sink into its bosom. I have but one 



288 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

request to ask at my departure from this world, 
it is- THE CHARITY OF ITS SILENCE. Let 
no man write my epitaph ; for as no man who 
knows my motives dare now vindicate them, 
let not prejudice and ignorance asperse them. 
Let them and me rest in obscurity and peace; 
and my tomb remain uninscribed, and my mem- 
ory in oblivion, until other times and other 
men can do justice to my character. When my 
country takes her place among the nations of 
the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph 
be written." 

Execution of Emmet.— It is said that Emmet 
had expected a rescue by Michael Dwyer, a 
leader of the Wicklow mountaineers, or by 
Russel, a friend who was implicated in the plot. 
As he mounted the scaffold, the eyes of the 
youth wistfully scanned the crowd beneath him 
in the hope that a glance of encouragement 
would answer his ; but he saw no friendly face, 
nor sign of hope for life. When the hangman 
asked if he were ready, he answered, ^^Not yet, 
not yet." Again the hangman asked him, and 
while the hopeful spirit of youth was answer- 
ing ''Not yet— not yet," the bolt was drawn 
and he was cast into eternity. Rescue was too 
late. Poor Emmet did not know that his friend 
Russel was faithful to the last ; he did not know 
that he, too, had been arrested to be afterwards 
executed with many others who had partici- 
pated in the attempt. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. 

Condition of the Country.— For the next few 
years after Emmet's insurrection the country 
suffered greatly. Coercion acts were passed 
and executed with a vindictiveness that could 
not be surpassed. And no cry of resistance was 
raised, for the people were benumbed by the 
consciousness that with all their concentrated 
strength they could not defend themselves 
against the 50,000 regulars and 70,000 volun- 
teers which filled Ireland. Although the power 
of the magistrates to proclaim martial law had 
been recalled, a special commission, made fa- 
mous for its ferocity, headed by Lord Norbury, 
replaced the magistrates and exceeded them 
in cruelty. It was a common occurrence for the 
commission to sentence to death twenty men 
in one session. Yet a change, almost impercep- 
tible though it was, had come upon the country. 
The Catholics were beginning to assert them- 
selves, not, as in other times, under the patron- 
age of a few noble-minded Protestants, but as 
an independent, individual body. Their policy 
was not physical force, insurrection or war, but 
one of legal agitation. 

289 



290 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Petition for Catholic Relief Bill.— In 1806 a 
number of the old Catholic Committee met and 
presented, through Keogh, a petition for Cath- 
olic Relief. A bill was proposed and was 
supported by Grattan and Fox, but it was 1806 
rejected by a large majority. 

The Veto.— In 1808 a suggestion was made by 
Sir John Cox Hippesley that the name of the 
proposed bishop for a Catholic See in Ireland 
be first submitted to the king, and in case of his 
non-approval of the candidate that another man 
be chosen. This use of the king's veto 
was to prevent clergymen with national 1808 
sentiments from becoming a power in the 
country. A bill was introduced in Parliament 
to this end but, although the peerage strongly 
supported it, the commoners and the clergy re- 
jected it. 

The Suppression of the Catholic Committee. 
— Some time after a Catholic Committee was 
established, but, under the Convention Act, it 
was suppressed by the government. Again in 
1821 an attempt for Catholic relief was made in 
the form of another introduction into Parlia- 
ment of a relief bill. It was rejected. 

The Famine and Coercion Acts.— A famine 
was on the land at this time, and the people 
were dying from starvation. Ejectments, 
tithes, rack-rents, transportations and hangings 
followed in quick succession. The king had 
visited Ireland with a conciliatory object in 



CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION 291 

view, and some of the people received him en- 
thusiastically ; but the condition of Ireland was 
no better for his visit. Instead of relieving the 
oppressed people, the government continued to 
enact coercion acts. In many districts where 
the tenants were made desperate by starva- 
tion and cruel laws, they took justice in their 
own hands and meted out punishment to the 
landlords who oppressed them. In the midst of 
all this a few faithful men continued the use- 
less work of presenting petitions to the king 
and parliament, only to have them rejected. 

Daniel O'Connell.— Then Daniel O'Connell 
made his majestic stride into the political arena 
where lay dead and dying the many hopes of 
his country. Local insurrections, general ris- 
ings and wars had failed ; a parliament in Ire- 
land, suffering from too much Anglicism had 
succumbed by its own hand; petitions to the 
king and parliament had been thrown out re- 
peatedly; but O'Connell climbed over these 
wrecks with a new strength and a new standard 
that was destined to succeed. *^ Ireland cannot 
fight England," he said, and he began to teach 
the doctrine of Passive Resistance. In 1823 he 
founded the Catholic Association, the object of 
which was the promotion of Catholic 
emancipation by means of meetings held 1823 
throughout the country, public discus- 
sions, and the return of members of parliament 
pledged to labor for the Emancipation of Catho- 



292 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



lies. Funds for the support of this assoeiation 
were gained by the subscription of one pound 
a year from each member and one shilling from 
each associate. These subscriptions were called 
the Catholic Kent. 




DANIEL O'CONNELL. 



The Catholic Association Disestablished and 
Reestablished.— For two years this association 
flourished and then by an Act which 'Connell 
termed the Algerine Act— because of its sever- 
ity, it was suppressed. Undaunted by this, 



CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION" 293 

O'Connell diplomatically reorganized the so- 
ciety under another name. In the general elec- 
tion, through the agency of this association, 
members of parliament pledged to support the 
cause were elected in Waterford, Louth and 
Monaghan, where, previously, opponents of 
Catholicity had always been returned to parlia- 
ment. 

The Election of O'Connell.— O'Connell now 
boldly presented himself as a candidate for a 
seat in parliament as a representative of Clare. 
After a bitter contest he was elected in the 
summer of 1828; but, knowing that, although 
the government could not prevent the election 
of Catholics to parliament, unless they 
took the oath required of all members 1828 
of parliament, — an oath which denied 
certain doctrines of the Catholic Church, — 
Catholics could not take the seat to which the 
people had elected them, 'Council did not 
attempt to take his seat. He had most diplo- 
matically laid his plans ; he had united the Irish 
people and by virtue of that union, he had won, 
outside of parliament, the object which he had 
sought. Meeting all attempts to goad them into 
an insurrection and its inevitable consequence, 
and scorning all offers of compromise with a 
j^:ilent, dogged and cool determination, the Irish 
Catholics, under his leadership, at last gained 
their emancipation. 



294 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The Emancipation Act.— On April 13, 1829, 
parliament passed the Emancipation Act. The 
principal provisions of the bill were : 

1. Catholics could become members 1829 

of both the House of Lords and 
the House of Commons, a new oath being 
framed which contained no denial of 
their doctrines of religion. 

2. Catholics could hold all offices, both civil 

and military, with the exception of those 
of lord-lieutenant and lord-chancellor. 

3. Catholics were allowed to become mem- 
bers of corporations and to vote for mem- 
bers of corporations. 

4. Catholics would not be permitted to take 
the title of any archbishop, dean, or bis- 
hop, under a penalty of one hundred 
pounds. 

5. All religious must enter their places of 

residence on the register under penalty 
of fifty pounds a month if they did not 
do so within six months, the imposition 
of the fine continuing until they did so ; 
those religious coming into the kingdom 
would be banished forever. 
O'Connell in Parliament.— Immediately after 
the passage of the Emancipation Act, O'Con- 
nell presented himself to the speaker of parlia- 
ment. The old oath denying the doctrines of 
his faith was offered him. He refused to take 
it under the law of emancipation. The speaker 



CATHOLIC EMAXCIPATION 295 

ordered him to withdraw, and he obeyed. He 
then pleaded his case at the bar and a new 
election was ordered. This time he was returned 
as member for Clare, unopposed. After this 
election he was tendered the new oath, which 
he took, and he became a member of the British 
Parliament on February 4, 1830. Forty 
other members in favor of emancipa- 1830 
tion were returned to the same parlia- 
ment. 

The Disfranchisement of the Forty-Shilling 
Freeholders.— At the same time in which the 
Act of Emancipation was passed another act, 
depriving the forty-shilling freeholders of their 
holdings was passed. These freeholders, who 
had been, created by the landlords for the pur- 
pose of making themselves powerful factors in 
politics, had thrown off their yoke and inde- 
pendently voted for O'Connell, thus showing 
the landlords that their power and favors were 
of no more value. This act reduced the number 
of electors from 200,000 to 26,000. 

The Tithe Agitation.— The tithes were a tax 
imposed upon the farmers for the support of 
the Protestant clergy. Catholics were not ex- 
empt from this tax; and they suffered greatly 
from the tithe collectors, or proctors. These 
tithe-proctors were paid a percentage on the 
amount collected, and conse*. iently they were 
overzealous in extorting as much as they could. 
In the south, where the people were mostly 



296 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Catholic, a cry of objection to these extortion- 
ers was raised. Men refused to pay the tithes 
and often the soldiers were called to assist 
the proctors in their tax collecting. Quarrels 
ensued, and men were shot down for defending 
their rights. Newtownbarry, Carrickshock and 
Rathcormack were the scenes of bitterest op- 
position. Finally the Church Temporalities 
Act was passed in 1834, limiting the num- 
ber of Protestant archbishops to two, and 1834 
that of bishops to ten, and abolishing 
the tax for the repairs of Protestant churches. 
In 1839 another act was passed decreasing the 
tithes by one-fourth and imposing the tax on 
the land-lords instead of the tenants. This did 
not lighten the burden of the tenants, 
however, for the land-lord easily paid 1839 
the tax by increasing the rent of the 
tenants. 

Father Theobald Mathew.— A new reformer 
arose at this time in Ireland. His aim was not 
a political reform, but rather a social one. He 
began a crusade against drunkenness, and trav- 
ersed the country preaching the doctrine of 
temperance until the name of Father Mathew 
became synonymous with total abstinence. He 
began his exhortations in 1838 and within nine 
months, by his eloquence and his earnest 
appeals, he persuaded 150,000 persons 1838 
to take the pledge. In a few years 
one million people were sworn followers of 



CATHOLIC EMAXCIPATION 



297 



Father Mathew's doctrine. Happy results at- 
tended this new movement; crimes due to 
intemperance decreased with wonderful rapid- 
ity; families became prosperous, as far as the 




FATHER MATHEW. 
Apostle of Temperance. 

conditions would allow, and quarrels were set- 
tled. Father Mathew died in 1856 at the age 
of sixty-six years. But with his death came not 
the end of his influence, for to-day all over the 
world. Father Mathew Temperance Associa- 
tions are bravely carrying on the work begun 
by this humble Irish priest. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE REPEAL AGITATION OF O'CONNELL. 

The Aim of O'Connell.— The ultimate aim of 
O'Connell was the repeal of the Act of Union; 
and Catholic Emancipation was only a means 
toward this end. Upon his entrance into par- 
liament he began to prepare the government for 
his final proposition, opening his campaign with 
a demand for the reform of the British Parlia- 
ment. 

The Loyal National Repeal Association.— 
O'Connell, realizing that it was impossible to 
gain repeal without the assistance of the people, 
established a society in 1840 with the ob- 
ject of enlisting the whole Irish nation 1840 
in the movement. He intended to prove 
by the growth of this association that public 
opinion was in favor of repealing the Act of 
Union. In three years the Liberator saw his 
new organization, which he finally called The 
Loyal National Repeal Association, spread 
throughout the country and gathering to itself 
a membership of seven hundred thousand per- 
sons. 

''Monster Meetings.''— To reach the people 
the Repeal Associates proceeded to hold open 
air meetings in the fields and on the hillsides 

298 



THE REPEAL AGITATION - 299 

throughout the country. So enormous was the 
attendance at these gatherings that they be- 
came known as *^ monster meetings." At Tara 
Hill the greatest of these meetings was held on 
the 15th of August in 1843, the number esti- 
mated being nearly two million. 

The Attitude of the Government.— Although 
these Repeal meetings were most enthusiastic 
and the whole country trembled with excite- 
ment, there was neither violence nor lawless- 
ness ; and the authorities had no opportunity of 
charging the Repealers with ^' disloyalty." 
This was due to the efforts of O'Connell. The 
government, however, alarmed at his success 
with the people and foreseeing the inevitable 
result of the strong influence which he held 
over them, took imm^ediate steps to break his 
power. Proclamations forbidding the meetings 
of the Repeal Association were sent out, orders 
to disperse all gatherings of the Repealers were 
given to the various garrisons, and regiments 
of cavalry and infantry, with large stores of 
ammunition, were imported from England. In 
short, coercion was renewed. 

The Postponement of the Clontarf Meeting.— 
At Clontarf a meeting was scheduled to be 
held on Sunday, October 8th, 1843. A 
vast concourse of people was expected 1843 
to attend it. The authorities being in- 
formed, with the intention of precipitating a 
battle between the soldiers and the people, is- 



300 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

sued a proclamation late on Saturday after- 
noon, terming the meeting seditious and for- 
bidding it as illegal. They gave no time to the 
officers of the association in which to warn the 
people, and a massacre seemed inevitable. How- 
ever, they had not reckoned with the natural 
activity of the men they opposed. Throughout 
the night of October 7th the Irish leaders hur- 
ried from place to place, counseling the people 
to postpone the meeting and scattering 
mounted messengers all over the country to 
warn those whom they themselves could not 
reach. So diligently did these Irishmen work 
that Saturday night, that upon the following 
day, when the soldiers arrived at Clontarf, they 
found no crowd to disperse, and no crowd to 
massacre. 

Prosecution of O'ConnelL— O'Connell was 
now the ^* uncrowned monarch" of Ireland. He 
was the very life of the Repeal Movement. The 
government realized this, and, knowing that 
his downfall would end the agitation in Ire- 
land, it set about to accomplish it. In a mo- 
ment of excitement the ^^ Liberator'' had 
pledged himself to gain repeal in six months. 
In this promise lay the opportunity of the gov- 
ernment. The people trusted their leader and 
believed in his ability to keep his word. Loss 
of the people's faith meant loss of adherents, 
loss of power and the death of the Repeal Move- 
ment. To reduce O'Connell to this extremity, 



THE REPEAL AGITATION . 301 

the officials gave orders for his arrest and that 
of the other leaders. With eight others he 
was brought for trial before a packed 
jury on January loth, 1844. The trial 1844 
continued until February 12th and the 
verdict was guilty. Then the reading of the 
sentence was delayed for three months. O'Con- 
nell wa^ sentenced to imprisonment for a year 
with the addition of a fine which he was ordered 
to pay besides. For three months the *' Liber- 
ator'' lay in the jail, until finally his friends 
succeeded in getting the verdict reversed and 
he was released. The six month limit was 
passed, however, and the government knew that 
O'Connell was beaten. His power was broken, 
and his spirit, also. For O'Connell was now a 
man of seventy years, and he had not the 
strength of youth with which to withstand the 
disappointment that came when he could not 
fulfil his promise. Nor was he able to finish 
the task which he had begun. His influence 
with the people was weakened. A year before 
he had but to utter the word and his will was 
executed; now illness, old age and the death of 
his hopes broke his proud spirit. Already he~ 
was losing his adherents. Younger men with 
other principles were taking his place in the 
hearts of the people and agitation had lost its 
charm for men and women of a suffering land. 
The Fajnine.— In September, 1845, the potato 
blight appeared for the first time in Ireland, 



302 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

and the crop was destroyed. The farmers made 
a brave attempt to regain their loss the follow- 
ing year, depriving themselves of actual neces- 
sities to borrow money by means of which they 
were enabled to plant a new crop. With char- 
acteristic hopefulness they looked forward to 
the coming harvest. Again the blight appeared, 
and the farmers saw their potatoes destroyed. 
Then Famine came. Men, women and children 
died by the hundred. Yet these things could 
have been prevented by the government, had 
it listened to the appeals of O'Connell and his 
party, for at the first warnings of nature in 
'45 he saw the possibility of a famine and had 
pleaded for a remedy for such an event. He 
argued against the exportation of corn, point- 
ing out the fact that, should the blight reap- 
pear, corn would be needed to take 
the place of the potato as food; he struggled 
to prevent the distillation of spirits, which 
necessitated the squandering of grain for this 
purpose ; he sought to open the ports that pro- 
visions might be received from other countries ; 
and he urged the government to lend its aid 
to the people who were suffering already. His 
efforts were in vain. With its usual criminal 
negligence parliament closed its eyes to the 
coming cloud of misfortune. The government 
could not have prevented the blight, but it 
could have prevented the consequent suffering 
and death of the people. In the most callous 



THE REPEAL AGITATION ^ 303 

manner, it refused to disturb the corn market 
for the sake of the starving millions of Irish, 
and when the terrible year of '47 finally came 
with all its attendant horrors, and the people 
lay dead and dying along the roadsides and in 
the fields, the amount of corn exported was far 
greater than w^as sufficient to feed the whole 
population of Ireland. It is the bitter truth 
that with plenty in their own land, the Irish 
people starved to death. 

Foreign Aid.— Europe and America now 
came to the aid of the sufferers ; but they could 
not bring to life the victims of a government's 
negligence. Nor w^ere the provisions which 
they sent to Ireland always distributed among 
the families that were starving. Frequently 
they were appropriated by the various officials 
and contractors, who enriched themselves with 
the charitable offerings of other nations. 

Desolate Ireland. — As a natural consequence 
of all this misfortune, Ireland was fast becom- 
ing a waste. Emigration increased, for those 
who had the opportunity left their desolate 
homes and fled to America. But even in their 
flight the unfortunate Irish suffered. Disease 
followed famine ; and the w^ake of many a ship 
marked the burial place of those who died in 
their attempt to flee the shadow of famine and 
plague. The day came at last when the popu- 
lation of Ireland was two and one-half million 
less than it had been before the dawn of ^ ^ Black 
Forty- Sev en J^ 



304 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



The Death of O'ConnelL— In the dark days 
of the famine when his stricken people were 
falling around him, O'Connell saw his last hope 
perish. Broken in health and weakened in 
mind, his sufferings augmented by the pitiable 
scenes about him, he left Ireland on a pilgrim- 
age to Rome; but before he could reach his 




O'CONNELL'S MONUMENT IN GL.ASNEVIN CEMETERi'. 

This cemetery is the resting place of many famous Irish 
patriots and heroes. 

From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

destination, death overtook him at Genoa, and 
on the 15th of May, 1847, the ''Irish Liberator'' 
ended his earthly career. The significance of 
his whole life lay in his last wish, that his heart 
might be brought to Rome and that his body 
be buried in Ireland. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE RETURN TO THE PHYSICAL FORCE 

POLICY. 

''Young Ireland/'— Early in its existence the 
Repeal movement attracted a number of young 
men many of whom had but recently left col- 
lege to follow the high ideals of patriotism and 
public heroism which they had learned in the 
school-room and the lecture hall. This new 
generation soon wearied of O'Conneirs consti- 
tutional agitation and, seceding from his party, 
introduced the school of politics known as 
' ' Young Ireland. ' ' The intention of these young 
patriots was to purify Irish politics, to de- 
stroy factional and religious differences, to 
maintain an independence that was being 
threatened by the insidious attempts of the gov- 
ernment to bribe Irish leaders with appoint- 
ments to governmental positions, and to appeal 
to the people through their reason rather than 
through their emotions. 

The Nation and the Irish Confederation.— 
Taking for its motto, '^Educate that you may 
be free,'' the Young Ireland party had early in 
its career established a paper, called the Ka- 
Hon, the purpose of which was to give the peo- 
ple a political education, to point out the 

305 



306 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

wrongs which they suffered, to enable them to 
see the causes of their wretched condition and 
to incite them to remove those causes by acquir- 
ing independent legislation. With Thomas Davis 
as chief writer, the Nation became an important 
factor in the making of a new Ireland. His 
poetry and prose thrilled the heart of every 
Irishman and struck fire from Irish genius until 
soon the columns of the Nation were filled with 
writings of such men as James Clarence Man- 
gan, Richard Dalton Williams, Thomas Francis 
Meagher, John Blake Dillon and Thomas 
Devin Reilly, and such women as ^'Speranza'' 
(Lady Wilde), Eva Mary Kelly and Ellen 
Downing. A new school of literature had come 
into existence, hand in hand with the politics 
of Young Ireland; its motives were of the 
same purity, its aim as noble, and its means as 
bold. It was the renaissance of Irish nation- 
ality. 

The Irish Confederation.— In 1847 the Irish 
Confederation was established by the Young 
Ireland seceders. The membership of this or- 
ganization was made up of young men of edu- 
cation, moral worth, and healthy mind, the 
flower and promise of the middle class. As a 
leader these young Confederates chose William 
Smith O'Brien, a man of honor and a 
model of public virtue and personal in- 1847 
tegrity. In spite of the stirring songs 
and fervent writings that were awakening Ire- 



PHYSICAL FORCE POLICY " 307 

land, O'Brien made a strong effort to maintain 
a conservative attitude, and for a while suc- 
ceeded. But the Confederates and the Nation 
were each the complement of the other. What 
the Confederates said in the council-chamber 
or on the platform, the Nation emphasized. 
When the Nation made a suggestion, the Con- 
federation seized upon it. And their united ef- 
forts resulted in the spread of the doctrines 
of ^' Young Ireland" throughout the country. 
And another spirit besides mere nationalism 
had entered the articles of the Nation. 

John Mitchell.— The death of Thomas Davis 
left vacant the position of editor on the Na- 
tion's staff, which was filled by John Mitchell, 
the son of a Unitarian minister and, as he, 
himself boasted, the son of a '98 man. Mit- 
cheirs writings soon startled all Ireland and 
played havoc with peaceful agitation. His rem- 
edy for the ills of his country was— War. De- 
claring that constitutionalism was demoralizing 
the country he preached the doctrine of ^' blood 
and iron" so boldly and openly that the Con- 
federates, under the leadership of the conserva- 
tive Smith O'Brien, protested against his prin- 
ciples as being those of a madman, and Charles 
Gavan Duffy, the proprietor of the Nation, 
sought to suppress what he called the *^ sedi- 
tious" articles which Mitchell contributed to 
the columns of the paper. Rather than con- 
cede his right to speak plainly, John ]\IitchelI 



308 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



resigned his position on the Nation, and, with 
Thomas Devin Reilly, another strenuous advo- 
cate of ^^ physical force/' he severed his connec- 
tion with the Irish Confederation. To proclaim 
his doctrines without hindrance, Mitchell now 
established a weekly paper which he named 




JOHN MITCHELL. 



the United Irishman. With contributions 

from the pens of Mangan, Ellen Downing and 
Devin Reilly, w^ho had also retired from the 
columns of the Nation, the paper became not 
only a literary success, but also a most vigorous 



PHYSICAL FORCE POLICY * 309 

exponent of democratic and revolutionary prin- 
ciples. And so popular did Mitcheirs editorials 
become that all other publications were forgot- 
ten in the desire of the people to read what 
Mitchell said. 

Military Clubs.— This great interest in Mit- 
chell's doctrines, w^hich had been ridiculed at 
first, was the result of news from Prance, where 
the people had succeeded in overthrowing the 
government. Ireland was aflame with the 
thought that Independence was possible ; and 
Mitchell's policy was grasped at by those who 
had but a few days before derided it and called 
its advocate a madman. Confederate clubs 
were formed throughout the country, this time 
for the purpose of arming and drilling the 
members in preparation for a revolution. And 
the United Irishman was the organ of these 
clubs, openly encouraging the men to hasten 
their preparations and giving them instructions 
in warfare. 

The Treason - Felony Act.— The government 
was not idle while Mitchell and his aids were at 
work. The viceroy. Lord Clarendon, concen- 
trated eight thousand troops in Dublin, and 
sent spies throughout the country to ascertain 
the numbers and resources of the Revolution- 
ists. More regiments were ordered from Eng- 
land and cannon mounted in preparation for an 
attack. But realizing that all these efforts were 
vain without the destruction of the United 



310 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Irishman and its editor, the government de- 
cided upon a means by which to accomplish its 
purpose. On April 25th, 1848, the Treason- 
Felony Act was passed. This act provided that 
any one who should levy war against the queen, 
or endeavor to deprive her of her title by open 
and advised speaking, printing or publishing, 
or inciting others to the same should be deemed 
guilty of felony and should be transported be- 
yond the seas. 

The Arrest and Conviction of Mitchell.— 
Ignoring this new law of the British govern- 
ment as he had ignored its intent to legislate 
for Ireland at any time, Mitchell continued to 
write, urging the people to arm themselves in 
self defense. As a result, he was arrested, tried 
and convicted under the Treason-Felony Act. 
Mitchell received his sentence with composure, 
and then addressing the court defiantly, he 
promised that others would take his place. As 
he uttered this promise, a cry, rang out from 
his friends who were present at the trial — 
*^ Promise for me, Mitchell, promise for me — 
and me— and me!" resounded throughout the 
court-room. A rush was made to bid farewell 
to the prisoner, and the officials, believing that 
a rescue was being attempted, fled from the 
room. Police tore the prisoner from the em- 
braces of his friends; bugles sounded the 
alarm ; troops closed in about the building ; and 
Mitchell was carried off to his cell. Early the 



PHYSICAL FORCE POLICY 311 

next morning he was heavily chained and hur- 
riedly put on board a convict ship bound for 
Spike Island, from which place he Avas after- 
wards taken to Van Diemen's Land. He fin- 
ally escaped to America. 

The Men of Forty-eight.— There was now no 
retreat, no middle course for the Confederates. 
Even O'Brien, who had most vigorously op- 
posed Mitchell's force policy, threw himself 
into the cause and, with Meagher, Dillon, 
D'ArcyMcGee and Richard 'Gorman traversed 
the country organizing and drilling for a final 
stroke for Independence. Meanwhile the gov- 
ernment was hurriedly pouring in troops from 
England, improvising barracks, reinforcing 
garrisons and placing gun-boats along the riv- 
ers. Proclamations for the arrest of the Con- 
federate leaders were issued; and before 
O'Brien could order the call to arms, he was 
surrounded. A struggle took place in Tippe- 
rary between a few of his followers and the 
police. The police were compelled to retreat 
to a farmhouse where they were able to fire 
upon the people without encountering harm to 
themselves. Owing to the gentleness of O'Brien 
who would not see the house and children of a 
widow destroyed even for the defeat of the en- 
emy, the battle ended unsuccessfully for the 
Irish. 

Fate of the Leaders.— There was nothing left 
to the leaders now, but flight. Dillon, O'Gor- 



312 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

man, Doneny and Devin Reilly escaped to 
America; but O'Brien, Meagher, McManus and 
O'Donoghue were arrested and convicted of 
high treason. They were sentenced to be 
hanged, drawn and quartered; but their sent- 
ence, however, was changed to transportation, 
and with John Martin they were sent to Van 
Pieman's Land. 

Effect of the Young Ireland Movement.— 
Although hundreds of Forty-eight men fled 
from Ireland with the hopelessness that comes 
with failure, the result of Young Ireland's at- 
tempt to revolutionize the country was not a 
failure in the full sense of the word, for Ire- 
land has gained much from the efforts of these 
brave spirits who sacrificed careers of great 
promise and gave up their lives willingly for 
the welfare of their native land. What though 
the hope of the nation sank low when they 
went out into exile, there to spend their tal- 
ents in the furtherance of other causes; what 
though they gave their lives for foreign govern- 
ments ; they had left their impress on the land 
of their birth; they left it in the new and 
worthy literature from which other generations 
would learn the lesson of freedom and honor; 
they left it in the new politics, the politics of 
self-reliance and independence ; and they had 
left it on the minds of the people, who once more 
had become united. And those who had fled to 
America added to the fame of the Irish nation, 



PHYSICAL FORCE POLICY ^ 313 

when they threw themselves into the cause of 
the Union and fought to save it, the Union so 
widely different from that which they had in 
their own home tried to dissolve. Greatest of 
all their gifts to their country, however, was 
Young Ireland, which means a Hopeful Ire- 
land. 

The Condition of the Country (1847-1858).— 
Eleven years of wretchedness followed ''Black 
Forty-Seven" and unfortunate Forty-Eight. 
In 1848 and 1849 the blight had reappeared to 
add to the list of famine victims. Landlords 
were evicting their tenants and stocking the 
vacated lands with cattle. Emigration con- 
tinued. Attempts to relieve the tenants were 
made without success; bills were introduced 
and thrown out; and the Tenants' Rights 
League was established; yet the state of Ire- 
land remained the same. 

The Fenians.— Once more the doctrine of 
armed resistance was held forth to the people. 
In 1858, James Stephens, an exile of '48, 
returned from America to find some defiant 
spirits among the Phoenix Society of Skib- 
bereen, in Cork. At that time England was en- 
gaged in suppressing the rebellion in India ; and 
Stephens and his followers took advantage 
of this opportunity to establish the so- 1858 
ciety throughout Cork and Kerry. The 
leaders were arrested, only to be released 
soon after. It was thus that the Fenian 



314 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

movement began. During the years that 
followed it progressed rapidly through the 
agency of a newspaper, called The Irish 
PeopUy and finally struck root in Amer- 
ica where the old '48 men and those 
driven from Ireland by the tyranny of land- 
lords grasped eagerly at this chance of seeking 
redress of their grievances. Those who had 
been soldiers in the American army now hoped 
to be able to make use of their experience for 
their own country; and those who had pros- 
pered on the western continent offered their 
savings to the cause. They had not forgotten 
their " Dear Old Ireland, Brave Old Ireland, 
Ireland, boys, hurrah!" The rising was to take 
place in Ireland on September 20th, 1865. 
Again as in forty-eight, before their plan could 
be carried out, the leaders were arrested and 
sent to prison. Stephens, however, escaped 
from jail. 

The Fenian Movement in America.— Mean- 
while the movement progressed in America. A 
scheme to invade Canada took rise and in May, 
1866, William Roberts, an Irish-American who 
had spent a fortune for the cause had estab- 
lished a line of depots along the Cana- 
dian frontier and filled them with arms 1866 
and ammunition bought from the govern- 
ment of the United States. Orders were now 
given to the Fenians throughout the States to 
march towards the frontier. But President 



PHYSICAL FORCE POLICY • 315 

Johnson, contrary to the policy of his prede- 
cessor, Lincoln, issued a proclamation against 
the movement. Immediately, American gun- 
boats were stationed along the lakes and the St. 
Lawrence River; all the arms and ammunition 
were confiscated ; and those contigents on their 
way to the front were arrested on suspicion. 
One small company, however, evaded the gov- 
ernment officials, and with John 'Neill in com- 
mand, crossed over to Canada near Fort Erie, 
where O^Neill tore down the Union Jack and 
replaced it with the green flag of Erin. The 
news of this achievement spread like wild-fire 
among the Irish of the United States and within 
a day fifty thousand men had volunteered for 
service. But Johnson ordered the disorganiza- 
tion of the Fenians and caused the arrest of 
Colonel Roberts and other leaders. Meanwhile 
'Neill and his handful of men were left to the 
mercy of the British in Canada. Little daunted 
at the odds against him, that brave Irishman 
sallied forth with his regiment and put to rout 
most ignominously the Canadian regiments that 
attempted to besiege him in the fort. 

Death of Allen, Larkin and O^Brien.— In 
Manchester, England, the Fenian movement 
was marked with a tragic event. During the 
rescue of Captain Thomas J. Kelley, and Cap- 
tain Deasy from an English prison- van the ser- 
geant in charge, a man named Brett, was acci- 
dentally killed in an attempt to blow open the 



316 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

lock of the van. Stephens and Deasy escaped, 
but many of the rescuers were arrested. Wil- 
liam Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, Michael 
O'Brien, Thomas McGuire and Edward Condon 
were sentenced to be hanged for the murder of 
Brett. McGuire was pardoned and Condon 
received a reprieve; but, although innocent, 
Allen, Larkin and O'Brien were executed on 
the 23rd of November, 1867, and their bodies 
destroyed by quicklime as those of ordinary 
murderers. The Irish people, however, held 
funeral processions in the large cities of 
Ireland, commemorating the martyrdom 1867 
of these heroes; and throughout the 
whole world, wherever Irishmen live, the anni- 
versary of their death is marked with memor- 
ial meetings in which thousands of Irish voices 
repeat the prayer of the martyred three — 
^'God save Ireland!" 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

HOME RULE AND THE LAND QUESTION. 

Disestablishment of the Protestant Church.— 

Under the Established (Protestant) Church in 
Ireland there were two hundred parishes in 
which there were no Protestants ; and in other 
parishes there were from one to ten families 
professing the Protestant religion. The Catho- 
lics living within the limits of these parishes 
were compelled to pay their share of the annual 
tithe of the Established Church, which amount- 
ed to four hundred thousand pounds. This 
injustice was remedied by an act of Parliament 
passed in 1869, which provided for the dises- 
tablishment of the Protestant Church 
in Ireland. The act came into operation 1871 
on January 1st, 1871; and the English 
State Church in Ireland was thus abolished. 

Home Rule.— In 1870 a number of men, both 
Protestant and Catholic, met and arranged for 
the formation of a society which was to have 
for its object, Home Government for Ireland. 
As conventions of any kind were strictly for- 
bidden by the government, this new association 
found many obstacles to hinder its progress. 
The leaders, however, succeeded in assembling 
a number of local delegates in the hall of the 

317 



318 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Kotunda in Dublin on November 18th, 1873, 
calling the meeting a conference. After four 
days discussion the platform of the Federal 
Home Rule Movement was formed. In the next 
election the people sent four members 
of this association to parliament. With 1873 
Isaac Butt as leader, these men intro- 
duced bill after bill only to have each 
and all rejected by the British mem- 
bers. The Home Rulers then cleverly 
blocked all attempts of Parliament to ignore 
their propositions, turning the dignified British 
Parliament into a howling and ineffective mob, 
thereby preventing the continuance of other 
matters of legislation. Finally the failure of 
the Irish crop for three successive years turned 
the tide of agitation to the land question. 

The Land System.— The area of Ireland is 
20,808,271 acres, 14,000,000 of which are arable 
and fertile; and the natural resources of the 
country have been proven to be capable of sup- 
porting twenty-five million persons. Yet for 
years the Irish people have been compelled to 
accept but a miserable pittance of all this God- 
given plenty. This state of affairs is due to the 
land system which the English government 
introduced when it first confiscated their lands 
from the Irish clans to bestow those lands on its 
favorites, whose descendants throughout the 
centuries extorted the result of the tenant's 
drudgery in order to squander it abroad in pur- 



HOME RULE 319 

suit of pleasures that were often vicious. 
Landlordism in Ireland meant and will always 
mean injustice to the people. From its very 
foundation the land system is wrong, for it has 
given the ownership of the land to foreigners 
and apostates of Catholic Ireland, when the land 
belonged only to the Irish clans. Not only did 
these intruders under the protection of the gov- 
ernment claim the soil, but they and their 
descendants also laid claim to every improve- 
ment that the thrifty and industrious ten- 
ants made upon their holdings. To the 
tenants the system gave only the right to hold 
the land on payment of a certain rent which the 
landlord had the right to raise at the end of 
every six months. The landlords and their 
agents took advantage of this, and whenever 
the luckless tenant had, by his own industry, 
produced a successful crop, or cleared a once 
barren land of stones, and otherwise made his 
farm productive, the rent was raised; and the 
result of honest labor and industry was a higher 
rent and a greater burden. His native intelli- 
gence soon taught the Irish farmer that it was 
wiser to sit down with folded hands and await 
a small crop that w^ould scarcely keep alive 
himself and his family than to wear out his life 
in toil for the landlord. Besides this, the ten- 
ants were subject to another injustice ; the land- 
lord could evict his tenants at will ; and eviction 
meant starvation or emioration. 



320 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

The Land Act of 1870.— Owing to the arbi- 
trary evictions and summary raising of rent, 
William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England, 
was compelled to introduce a bill into the House 
of Commons in 1870, forbidding land- 
lords to evict tenants without due pro- 1870 
cess of law and without compensating 
the tenants for disturbance from their holdings. 
For the first time since Elizabethan and Crom- 
wellian confiscation, tenants were granted cer- 
tain rights to their own improvements in their 
holdings, of which they could not be deprived 
v/ithout compensation. This act, just though 
it was, did not improve the condition of the ten- 
ants to a great extent. Although it gave them 
the right to invoke the law to aid them in oppos- 
ing the injustices of the landlords, the suits 
filed against the landlords were almost invari- 
ably decided in favor of the latter. And, in 
spite of its enactment, evictions to the number 
of ten thousand occurred between the years of 
1870 and 1879. 

The Land League.— The Irish World of New 
York City, a newspaper edited by Patrick 
Ford, gave impetus to a new movement, and 
spead its doctrine throughout the two coun- 
tries, Ireland and America. It taught *Hhe 
total abolition of landlordism and tenant pro- 
prietary.'' The Irish farmers saw the light of 
a better day dawn in this gospel of the Irish 
World; and they immediately gave their allegi- 



HOME RULE 



321 



ance to it. The crops of 1877, 1878, and 1879 
had failed and the gaunt spectre of famine had 
returned to Ireland again. Meetings of tenants 
were held and appeals for the suspension of 
rents were made, to be in most cases rejected 
by the landlords. Then Michael Davitt came 
forAvard advising the farmers to ^*pay no rent 




AN EVICTION. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures'-'. 

and resist eviction.'' This was the origin of 
the Land League. In October, 1879, Davitt 
with Charles Stewart Parnell, John 
Dillon and others organized an 1879 
association, which they called the 
Irish National Land League, and the pur- 
pose of which was to abolish landlordism. 



322 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Meanwhile the famine was destroying the popu- 
lation of the country, and emigration was con- 
tinuing. Effective aid was not to be had from 
the government; and the land-leaguers called 
upon Europe, Australia and America. A gen- 
erous response came in the form of money and 
provisions for the sufferers. The Irish leaders 
grew more urgent in their exhortations of the 
people to fight for their land rights. Rack- 
renters became the object of the '* boycott.'* 
An attempt was made to suppress the move- 
ment in the arrest of the leaders ; but a trial by 
jury resulted in their acquittal. 

The Land Act of 1881.— In 1881 Gladstone 
introduced another act by which he proposed 
to make more effective that of 1870. Under 
this act a land court was established which com- 
prised three members whose duty it was to fix 
a judicial rent. This rent could not be 
increased until the expiration of fifteen years, 
during which time the tenant could not be 
evicted except for non-payment of rent. The 
act was passed. 

The Coercion Act of 1881.— At the same time 
a coercion act, one of forty-four passed in 
twenty-six years, was enacted. Regiments of 
soldiers were sent to Ireland; and those regi- 
ments stationed there were recalled lest 
they would show sympathy and leniency 
to the people with whom they had lived so long. 
Members of the League were seized ; and as fast 



HOME RULE * 323 

as they were. arrested others took their places 
in the work of agitation. For safety the funds 
of the Land League were removed to France; 
and Dillon, Parnell and others followed them 
to make arrangemants for further resistance. 

The United Irish League.— The Land League 
continued its progress until 1891, when, on 
account of a scandal in the private life of Par- 
nell, some of the members refused to fol- 
low his leadership and he was deposed. 1891 
A year later the unfortunate Pericles of 
Ireland died heart-broken. In 1901 the factions 
which resulted from the difference of opinion 
in regard to Parnell's deposition, through the 
efforts of William O'Brien, were united under 
the name of the United Irish League. 
With new strength the newly united 1901 
factions signalled their union by com- 
pelling the enactment of a bill granting local 
self-government to Ireland. 

The Land Bill of 1903.— The land bills of 
1870 and 1881 with their various amendments 
still acknowledged the dual ownership of the 
land between landlord and tenant. There were 
so many defects in these bills that they were 
almost useless to the Irish people. With the 
object of remedying these defects the Irish 
members demanded a new bill. After 
much agitation and effective parliamen- 1903 
tary work they at last succeeded in se- 
curing the enactment of the land bill of 1903, 



324 



HISTOEY OF IRELAND 



which provided for the first time the 
right of the Irish tenants to BUY their 
holdings and thereby destroyed the dual 
ownership of the land. And the Irish 
people are now face to face with the opportu- 
nity of regaining their homes, and of becoming, 
after many centuries of injustice, the sole 
owners of the soil that long ago belonged to 
their ancestors. 




THE CUSTOM HOUSE, DUBLIN. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s ♦'Ireland in Pictures." 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

EDUCATION. 

The Destruction of Irish Schools.— In their 
pre-Christian days Ireland's people possessed 
the same love of learning that marks them to- 
day. The Cuilmenn, the Psalter of Tara 
and fragments of Ossian's poems, which are 
still extant, attest it. But the golden age of 
Irish learning began with the introduction 
of Christianity. Religion lent her glorious aid 
to education and the schools of Clonmacnoise, 
Bangor, Armagh, Lismore and other seats of 
learning sprang into existence. Not only Ire- 
land but all Europe was benefited by these 
schools. From them went forth a St. Colum- 
banus to teach the Gauls and the people of 
Northern Italy, a St. Gall to teach the gospel 
in Switzerland and to establish a famous 
school in Germany, a Virgilius, who probably 
was the first to teach that the earth wa^ 
round, a John Scotus. Erigena the greatest 
scholar of the world in the ninth century, a 
St. Pridolin to teach in Germany, a Clement 
and an Albinus to preside over Charlemagne's 
seminaries, and a St. Brendan to discover 
America. In these schools the Book of the 
Dun Cow, the Book of Leinster, the Book of 

325 



326 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

Ballymote, the Book of Lecain, the Yellow 
Book of Lecain, the Speckled Book and many 
other manuscripts of great worth were written. 
To these schools, too, western civilization owes 
its culture ; for they were the nucleus of the 
world's education, and Ireland was its center 
of intellectual life. Then the Danes came, and 
the island to which all men of intellect looked 
for guidance, the island of saints and scholars, 
fell under the dark shadow of barbarism. Mon- 
asteries were pillaged and burned, books de- 
stroyed and teachers and priests murdered; 
and the once famous schools of Ireland began 
to lose their attraction for foreign students. 
For two hundred years the country suffered 
under the Danes, until Brian Boroimhe over- 
came the pagans. He could not, however, 
eradicate the influence of these savages from 
the social life of his people. Peaceful pursuit 
of knowledge was no longer the distinguishing 
characteristic of the Irish people. And when 
the Anglo-Normans arrived, the natives faced 
another evil, the loss of their homes. Edu- 
cation was not to be sought when home and 
life were in danger. Yet these evils might 
have been overcome, had not Protestantism 
began its ruinous sway. What the wild men of 
the North began, and the feudal Normans con- 
tinued, bigotry completed. Penal laws forbade 
Catholics to educate their children, exiled the 
priest and monk, and placed a price on the 



EDUCATION 327 

head of the teacher. England knew full well 
that an ignorant people would be a submissive 
people; and education was proscribed in Ire- 
land. 

Irish Schools on the Continent.— But Eng- 
land had reckoned without the Irish thirst for 
knowledge and Irish loyalty to religion. The 
student who was denied an education in his 
own land sought it in other lands, and, al- 
though he was fined for it, the Irish father who 
could afford to do so sent his sons to con- 
tinental schools. The schools of Antwerp, 
Louvain, Lisle, Douay, Bordeaux, Rouen, St. 
Omar, Salamanca, Alcala, Coimbra, Prague, 
and St. Isodore of Rome were filled with Irish 
exiled students whose very number soon made 
it necessary for the founding of Irish colleges 
in the universities of Europe. Irish Cath- 
olics who had saved their fortunes from the 
English grasp gave generously towards the 
establishment of these schools and thus en- 
abled Irish youth to educate themselves. 

The Hedge School.— 

'^ Still crouching 'neath the sheltering hedge 
or stretched on mountain fern, 

The teacher and his pupils met, feloniously to 
learn." 

In the early part of the eighteenth century 
the penal laws reached their excruciating point. 
It was treason for a Catholic to seek an edu- 
cation either at home or abroad. These were 



328 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

the days of the hedge school. There were no 
finely equipped school-houses in those days, 
and no high salaries to tempt men to follow 
the profession of teaching. Fifty dollars was 
the reward for the head of a school-master. 
As often as not the Irish school-boy, when he 
arose in the morning, had no knowledge as to 
where school was to be held that day, nor was 
he certain that his teacher was alive and safe 
from the hands of the informer. As the morn- 
ing wore away, he waited and watched, listen- 
ing for the whistle of the schoolmaster to sum- 
mon him to class in some wild glen or behind 
the hedge on the wayside of a road unused by 
strangers and enemies. Acquiring an educa- 
tion was exciting ; and the boy needed no urg- 
ing to hurry him to school. When he had 
learned all that he could in this haphazard 
fashion, his parents, if they could afford it, 
then smuggled him to the continent where he 
became a scholar of no mean merit. But few 
parents could give their children a continental 
education, and the main portion of Irish Cath- 
olics, for years, received no more knowledge 
than that learned at the hedge-school. 

Relaxation of the Penal Laws.— In 1783, the 
repeal of the penal laws began. In 1795, St. 
Patrick's College of Maynooth was thrown 
open for the education of the Catholic clergy. 
A few years later a grant of money was given 
for its support. Religious communities began 



EDUCATION 



329 



to return to Ireland. The Jesuits, the Chris- 
tian Brothers, the Ursuline Nuns, the Ladies 
of Loretto and other orders began to open 
schools for the education of Catholic chil- 
dren. 

The National Schools.— In 1831 the Chief 
Secretary of Ireland, afterwards Lord Derby, 




QUADRANGLE MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 

introduced a school system known at present 
as the National School System of Ireland. This 
system was far from perfect, and, although 
professedly tolerant of Catholicity, it aimed to 
destroy the faith of the children who attended 
the National Schools. For many years it was 
the object of much controversy between Cath- 



330 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

olies and Protestants. Archbishop McHale was 
a bitter opponent of the system from the be- 
ginning; but, as it was the first step towards 
non-sectarian teaching, the Catholics accepted 
it with the philosophy that half a loaf was bet- 
ter than no loaf, and, by exercising the utmost 
vigilance, they compelled the bigotry of Pro- 
testantism to disappear from this department 
of national life so that today the National 
School is Catholic in Catholic districts. 

Literature of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth 
Centuries.— In the eighteenth century there 
was not one Catholic author of merit in Ire- 
land. The penal laws prevented the birth of 
genius. But there were several Protestants 
whose works are numbered among the classics 
of English literature. Sir Richard Steele, Dean 
Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, Richard Brinsley 
Sheridan, Edmund Burke, John Philpot Cur- 
ran, Henry Grattan and William Drennan 
were all non-Catholics; yet they were true 
Irishmen and their country rightfully claims 
them as her own. The nineteenth century 
marks the early result of the relaxation of the 
penal laws. James Warren Doyle, Bishop of 
Kildare and Leighlin, ^^the incomparable J. 
K. L.," was the first Irish Catholic bishop to 
make himself famous in the English literature 
of the age. Preceding him by a few years, the 
Reverend Doctor Lanigan wrote the Ecclesias- 
tical History of Ireland. Daniel ^Council 



EDUCATION 



331 



need scarcely be mentioned; his statesman- 
ship and oratory is of world-wide fame. 
Thomas Moore, the national poet of Ireland, 
like 'Connell is admired by all lovers of 
that unique characteristic, the Irish blending 



I 




THOMAS MOORE. 

of wit, humor and pathos. Besides these Ire- 
land's galaxy of the nineteenth century writ- 
ers holds the names of Gerald Griffin, the 
Christian Brother, John Banim, novelist, dram- 
atist and author of the exquisite poem, Sog- 
garth Aroon, Michael Banim, his brother. Rich- 



332 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

ard Lalor Shiel, whose essay on O'Connell was 
translated into several languages, Thomas Os- 
borne Davis, who, though not a Catholic, is 
beloved by all Catholics of Ireland and lovers 
of Freedom, and all the other writers of the 
Young Ireland movement, whose names have 
appeared before. Samuel Lover, Will Carle- 
toUj Charles Lever, John McHale, Archbishop 
of Tuam and scholar in Gaelic, Father Tom 
Burke, Denis Florence McCarthy and Aubrey 
De Vere also gave their share of brilliancy to 
Irish literature of the nineteenth century. 

Higher Education.— The means of education 
in Ireland is insufficient to satisfy the desire 
for learning among the people. The days when 
primary education was enough for the average 
man and woman have passed, and with all the 
world Ireland seeks the university. Protestant 
Ireland— which means one-third of Ireland- 
has the famous Trinity; but Catholic Ireland 
has no desirable university for the laity. May- 
nooth, whose annual grant was taken away at 
the same time that the Protestant Church was 
disestablished in Ireland, is no longer under 
governmental control; besides, it is exclusively 
for the education of youth preparing for the 
priesthood. There are several other colleges 
and seminaries for the clergy; but the Irish 
laity have no school for higher education 
which meets their requirements, and, for years, 
they have been making appeals for a Univer- 



EDUCATION 



333 



sity to be supported by the government and 
to be under Catholic control. 

Revival of the Gaelic Langfuage.— Since the 
enactment of the Statute of Kilkenny in the 
14th century, the Irish have been gradually 
compelled to give up the use of their own lan- 
guage until the present day finds but a few 
Irishmen able to speak fluently their native 




THE LIBRARY OF MAYNOOTH COLLEGE. 
From J. S. Hyland & Co.'s "Ireland in Pictures". 



Gaelic. In late years, however, a revival of 
the language has begun not only in Ireland, 
but wherever there are men of the Irish race. 
Classes have been formed in schools where chil- 
dren of Irish parents attend and the tongue 
of their forefathers is being taught them. 
Gaelic Leagues have been established in Ire- 
land, America and Australia, and by private 



334 HISTORY OF IRELAND 

contributions, the arduous task of restoring 
the greatest of all losses due to English in- 
justice, a suppressed language, is being ac- 
complished with success. 

Irish Lave of Learning.— These struggles for 
higher education and language in the home 
country are not the only indication of the 
craving for knowledge which marks the Irish- 
man. When penal laws, famine, eviction and 
coercion drove the Irish into exile, they car- 
ried with them, illiterate though many of 
them were, the faith of their fathers and an 
inherent love of learning ; and, wherever a few 
Irishmen settled, whether it was in the Aus- 
tralian bush, the wilds of Africa, or the plains 
of America, they built first their church and 
then their school. Their forefathers had 
taught the world, had resisted the Danes 
and Normans and defied Protestantism, giving 
up the greatest boon of intelligent man, edu- 
cation, to preserve their homes and their faith ; 
and their descendants entered exile to labor 
side by side with people of other nations 
who had not been denied intellectual light by 
their home government. In spite of poverty, in 
spite of bigotry, in spite of ridicule, the Irish 
exiles struggled on among strangers until to- 
day their children, the men and women dis- 
tinguished for their quickness of intellect, give 
proof of the victory won by the Irish exile 
over the narrow-minded ridicule of more for- 



EDUCATION 335 

tunate neighbors. Irish love, Irish sacrifice and 
Irish ability have raised the most noble of mon- 
uments to man— the Church and School; and 
Irish religion will not separate them. Like the 
schools of Lismore, Clonmacnoise, Armagh and 
the rest, the parochial school, the result of Irish 
labor and Irish sacrifice, will rise beside the 
Catholic Church of America, to gather into its 
precincts children with Irish blood flowing in 
their veins, the blood of martyrs and patriots 
of another land, and the blood which will 
make loyal citizens of this, an adopted land. 



INDEX 



Adrian (Hadrian), Pope, 73. 
Aguila, Don Juan, 152-154. 
Allen, Larkin and O'Brien, 315- 

316. 
American War, 250-252. 
Anabaptists, 198. 
Anglo-Irish, 113, 171. 
Anglo-Normans, Invasion of, 

67-69. 
Anglo-Saxon, 46, 48. 
Annesly, 244. 
Ardee, 92, 213. 
Ard-Righ, 10, 23. 
Ard-Righ, "unquestioned," 62. 
Ard-Righ, last, 83. 
Ardscoll, 94. 
Arklow, battle of, 274. 
Armada, The Spanish, 143. 
Armagh, church of, 42. 
Armagh, school of, 46, 325. 
Armagh, 124, 172. 
Art, 47. 
Askeaton, 133. 
Ashton, Sir Arthur, 186. 
Athenry, 93. 
Athens, 15. 

Athlone, 92, 100, 219-220, 228. 
Atlantic Ocean, 9. 
Attica, 15. 
Attila, 46. 
Aughrim, 230-231. 

Bagnal, Sir Henry, 142, 145-147. 
Bagnal, William, 248. 
Bagwell, 248. 

Bahnba (Banba), 9, death of, 18, 
Ballinacor, O'Byrne of, 133. 
Ballinamuck, 279. 



Ballinasloe, 229, 231. 

Ballymena, battle of, 92-94; 207. 

Ballymote, 144. 

Ballyshannon, 143. 

Baltinglas, Viscount of, 133. 

Baltimore, 153. 

Bandon, 189. 

Bangor, 325, bishop of, 113. 

Banim, John, 331. 

Bann, 11. 

Bantry Bay, 266. 

Barbado Islands, 197. 

Bards, 26. 

Barrow, 11. 

Beara, O'Sullivan, 149, 153, 154, 

157. 
Bearhaven, 156. 
Becket, Thomas a, 76. 
Belfast, 207, 211. 
Bellahoe, defeat at, 121. 
Belleek, 143. 

Benburb, battle of, 177-179. 
Beresford, 277. 

Berwick, Duke of, 209, 216, 221. 
Bill of Rights, 164. 
Birmingham, 93-95. 
Biscay, Duke of, 135. 
Black Art, The, 15. 
Black Battery, 226. 
Black Forty-Seven, 303. 
Black Mail, 97. 
Black Rent, 97, 100, 106, 110. 
Blackwater, 178. 
Blaney, Lord, 207. 
"Bloody" Code, The, 264. 
"Bloody Street," 187. 
Bogs, 131. 
Bompart, Admiral, 279. 



337 



338 



INDEX 



Bonaparte, Napoleon, 284. 

Bond, Oliver, 268. 

Books, Gaelic, 325, 326. 

Bordeaux, school of, 327. 

Borlase, 169. 

Boroimhe (Boru), Brian, 53-61, 

326. 
Boulavogue, 271, 272. 
Boulter, Dr., 245. 
Bourkes, of Connaught, 99. 
Boyne, 11, battle of, 214-217. 
Boyle, 144; Sir Henry, 246; 

Lord, 166. 
Brandenburghers, 216, 226. 
Break of Dromore, The, 206. 
Brehon Law, 25, 27, 42, 104, 124, 

142. 
Brest, 267. 
Bribery, 25. 

Brigid, St., 43, 44, 124. 
Bristol, 75, 85, 194. 
Bristol, Bishop of, 245. 
Broghill, Lord, 192, 199. 
Brotherhood of St. George, 113. 
Brothers, Christian, 329. 
Brown, 120. 

Brown, Colonel John, 234, 235. 
Bruce, Edward, 91-96. 
Bruce, Robert, 91-95. 
Butler, Simon, 259, 261. 
Butler, Sir Edmund, 92. 
Butler, Sir Tobey, 235. 
Butlers, (Ormond), 111, 116, 129, 
Burgh, 252. 

Burke, Father Tom, 332. 
Burke, Sir John, 162. 
Burke, Edmund, 261, 264. 
Burke of Clan William, 132. 
Byrne, William, 277. 
Byrne, Garret, 277. 
Byrne, Edward, 171, 259. 

Caicher, 17. 
Caillemotte, 216. 
Callan, battle of, 109. 
Callan River, 146. 
Cambrensis. Gerald, 48, 82. 



Camden, Earl of, 263, 277. 

Canada, 314, 315. 

Carew, 150, 153-157; Sir Peter, 

129. 
Carlow, 108. 

Carrickfergus, 94, 211, 213. 
Carrickfoyle, 133. 
Cashel, king of, 40, 53. 
Cashel, capture of, 181. 
Castledermot, 109. 
Castlereagh. Lord, 281. 
Cathal Carragh, 84. 
Cathal Crov Derg, 84, 86, 87. 
Catholic Emancipation Bill, 289- 

295. 
Catholic Committee, 259. 
Celt, ^, 48, 85, 98. 
Charles I., 164-166. 
Charles II., 199. 
Charles V., 116. 
Charter Schools, 245. 
Chief, the, 20, 23. 
Chichester, Sir Arthur, 162. 
Church, disestablishment of in 

Ireland, 317. 
Civilization of Milesians, 20. 
Cladiford, 209. 
Clairvaux, 65. 
Clanboy, 126. 
Clan Macmorrough, 105. 
Clan system, 20. 
Clare, Lord, 281. 
Clement VIII., Pope, 150. 
Clonard, 146. 

Clonmel, 181-182, 190-191. 
Clonmacnoise, 46, 50, 325. 
Clontarf, battle of, 57-59. 
Clontarf, meeting of, 299. 
Colchitto, 182. ' 
Coleraine, 207, 209. 
Colclough, John, 277. 
Colman, St., 45. 
Colonists, 97, 100. 
Columba, 43-45. 
Columbanus, 45. 
Commission of Defective Titles, 

163. 



INDEX 



339 



Commons, Irish, 257. 
Condon, Edward O'Meara, 316. 
Confederacy of the South, 144. 
Confederacy, the National, 139- 

157. 
Cong, Monastery of, 83. 
Conall Creevan, 38. 
Connaught, King of, 66, 84, 94. 
Connaught, 40, 75, 79, 80, 99, 

100, 132. 
Connor Macnessa, 18. 
Corbett Hill, 273. 
Cormac, 18, 19, 27, 42. 
Cornwallis, Lord, 277, 278, 281- 

282. 
Cosby, Sir Francis, 127. 
Council of Chiefs, 154. 
Counties, 11. 
Court of Words, 163. 
Covenanters, 175. 
Crete, 17. 

Croagh, Patrick, 39. 
Cromwell, Oliver, 186-191. 
Cuilmenn, the, 27, 325. 
Curlew Mts., battle of, 148. 
Curran, John Philpot, 279, 280, 

330. 
Curran, Sarah, 286. 

Dairmuid, 23. 

Danes, The, 49, 61. 

Dareca, 19. 

Dean Swift, 243, 244. 

De Burgo, William Fitzdelm, 

75, 87. 
De Burgo, "the red Earl," 92. 
De Burgo, Elizabeth, 100, 111. 
Declaration of Independence, 

255. 
De Cogan, Miles, 75, 79. 
De Courcy, John, 75, 77, 84, 88. 
Defective Titles, 163. 
De Gray, 87. 
De Lacy, Hugh, 75. 
De Lacy, Hugh, 85. 
Derry, Siege of, 209-210. 
Desmond, Thomas, Earl of, 112. 



Desmond, "the Great Earl," 

129, 132-133, 136-137. 
Desmond, John of, 129, 132, 133. 
Dillon, John Blake, 306. 
Dominicans, Order of, 89. 
Dowkra, 152. 
Downing, Ellen, 306. 
Downpatrick, 42, 78. 
Drapier's Letters, 243. 
Drogheda, Massacre of, 186-187. 
Dublin, Massacre of, 70-71. 
Duffy, Charles Gavan, 307. 
Dunboy, Siege of, 154-156. 
Dundalk, 212, 213. 
Dungannon, Baron of, 139. 
Dungannon Convention, 253. 

Earl of Essex, 126, 147-148, 150- 

151. 
Early Inhabitants, 15. 
Education, 89-90, 162, 325-335. 
Egypt, 17. 
Eire, 9. 

Emly, Bishop of, 192. 
Emmet, Robert, 283-288. 
Emmet, Thomas Addis, 266, 

268. 
Enniscorthy, 272. 
Enniskillen, 207, 210. 
Ere, 38. 

Eremon and Eber, 18. 
Eric, 25. 

Erne, Lough, 143. 
Explanation, Act of, 200. 

Famine of '45, '46, '47, 301-303. 

Feis Tara, 24-25. 

Fenians, The, 313-316. 

Fermanagh, 149. 

Feudal System, 21-22. 

Firbolgs, 15. 

Fitzgerald, 68. 

Fitzgerald, Garret Oge, 114. 

Fitzgerald, Lord Edward, 266, 

268. 
Fitzgerald, Lord Thomas (see 

Earl of Kildare), 112-117. 



340 



INDEX 



Fitzgerald, John (see Des- 
mond). 
Fitzmaurice, James, 130-132. 
Fitzstephen, Robert, 67. 
Fitzwilliam, Lord, 263. 
Flood, Henry, 250, 252, 255-258. 
Fodhla (Fiola), 9, 18. 
"Forty-Eight Men," 311-312. 
Franciscans, 89. 
Free Trade, 252. 
French Allies, arrival of, 213. 

Gaelic Revival, 333. 

Galmoy, Viscount, 207, 235. 

Galway, 46, 167, 194, 231. 

Genoa, 160, 304. 

George I., Sixth of, 244, 255. 

George III., 261. 

Gerald Cambrensis (see Cam- 

brensis). 
Geraldine League, The, 129-130. 
Geraldines, The, 114-118, 129- 

138 
Glendalough, 46, 134. 
Glenmalure, Battle of, 133-135. 
Glenschoheen, 18. 
Gloucester, 107-108. 
Goff's Bridge, Battle of, 276. 
Gorey, 272, 274. 
Grace, Colonel Richard, 219- 

220. 
Graces, The, 165. 
Grattan, Henry, 250-282, 330. 
Greeks, The, 15. 
Grey, Lord de, 133-136. 

Hamilton, Richard, 206-216. 
Hardi's Expedition, 279. 
Harvey, Bagnal, 273, 277. 
Hay, Edward, 277. 
Hearts of Oak, 249. 
Hearts of Steel, 249. 
Hedge School, The, 327. 
Henry IL, 66-87, 105. 
Henry IH., 87. 
Henry IV. of France, 159-160. 
Henry VII.. 113. 



Henry VIII., 114-122. 

Hessians, 277. 

Hibernia, 10. 

High Court of Justice, 198. 

Higher Education, 332. 

Hillsborough, 206. 

Hippesley, Sir John Cox, 290. 

"Hoche," The, 279. 

Holy Cross, 149, 152. 

Home Rule, 317. 

Houses of Public Hospitality, 

32. 
Houth, 159. 

Huguenot-French, 213, 216. 
Humbert, General, 278-279. 
Hunter, General, 277. 
Hy-Niall of the North, 19. 

Inchiquin, Lord, 175, 181-182. 

Indemnity Act, 264. 

Informer, 239. 

Inis Ealga, 9. 

Inis Fail, 9. 

Inis na Naoimh, 10, 43. 

Inniscarra, 149. 

Innispatrick, 65. 

Innocent II., Pope, 64. 

Insurrection Act, 264. 

Intermarriage, 98, 102. 

lona, 44. 

Ireland, Geography of, 9-14. 

Ireland, Names of, 9. 

Ireton, Henry, 192-194. 

Irish, The Exile of, 194-195. 

Irish Army, The Exile of, 233. 

Irish Confederation, 305-312. 

Irish Dress, 29-31, 102. 

Irish Language, 98, 102. 

Irish Schools, Destruction of, 

50, 325. 
Irish Schools on the Continent, 

327. 
Irish Sea, The, 9. 
Italy, 45-46, 162. 

Jackson, Henry, 268. 
Jackson, William, 266, 



I>sDEX 



34i 



Jacobite Army, the, 208-209. 

James I., 158. 

James II., 203-219, 227. 

John of Desmond (see Des- 
mond). 

John of England, 81-87. 

John Scotus Erigena, 325. 

John X::il., Pope, 91. 

Jones, Governor of Dublin, 181, 
185. 

Kavanaiigh, 129. 
Kelley, Thomas J., 315. 
Kells, 172 (see Synod). 
Kenmare Bay, 176. 
Kecgh, Matthev/, 273, 277. 
Keogh, John, 259. 
Kerry, O'Connor, 153. 
Kerry, the Palatinate of, 99. 
Kildare, 85, 134, 284, 285. 
Kildare (see Fitzgerald), 112- 

117. 
Kilkenny, 107, 176, ISO, 100,' 219. 
Kilkenny, Parliament of, 101. 
Kilkenny, statute of, 102. 
Kilkenny (see Synod). 
Killala, 278. 
Killaloe, 223. 
Kilwarden, Lord, 285. 
Kingsborough, 271. 
King's County organized, 122. 
Kings of Innisfail, 13-19. 
Kinkaid, 178. 
Kinsale, 217. 

Kinsale, battle of, 152-154. 
Knights of the Red Branch, 18, 
Knocknanos, battle of, 182. 
Knox, Andrew, 161. 

Lacken Hill, 276. 
Lancaster, 111. 
Lancaster, house of, 113. 
Land Act of 1870, 320. 
Land Act of 1881, 322. 
Land Bill of 1903, 323-324. 
Land League, 320-322. 
Land System, 318-319. 



Land-tenure under Milesians, 
22. 

Larkin (see Allen, Larkin and 
O'Brien). 

Lauzan, Due de, 212, 221. 

Leighlin, Bishop of ("J. K. 
L."), 330. 

Leinster, 40, 40, 87. 

Leix, 122, 169. 

Limerick, 41, 50, 52, 53. 

Limerick, siege of, 220-232. 

Limerick, treaty of, 234-236. 

Limerick, surrender cf, 132. 

Limitation of Parliamentary 
Session, 250. 

Linen trade, 167. 

Lionel, 101-102. 

Lisle, 327. 

Lismore, school of, 46, 325, 335. 

Literature of Milesians, 20-27. 

London tradesmen, 160. 

Lord Chesterfield, 246. 

Lord Clarendon,- S09. 

Lord Derby, 329. 

Lough Lendy, 93. 

Lough Svilly, 141. 

Louis XIV. of France, 201, 207, 
227. 

Louvain, 327. 

Loyal National Repeal Associ- 
ation, 298. 

Lucas, Charles, 246. 

Lupita, 19. 

MacGeoghan, Richard, 154-i:6. 
MacGillapatrick, 67. 
MacGuire, Roger, 170. 
MacKay, 235. 

MacMaelnembo, Dcrmct, 63. 
MacMahon, Hugh, 163-170. 
MacMorrough, Art, lC3-::3. 
MacMorrough, Dermot, C3-71. 
MacMorrough, Eva, 63-70. 
Macroom, 176, 
Macroom, battle of, 191. 
Maelmordha, Dermot, 54, 56, 57, 
59. 



342 



INDEX 



Maenmoy, Connor, 84. 

MaGennis, Con, 170. 

MaGuire, 144, 146, 147, 149, 150. 

Mabon, 52. 

Malachy, 51, 54, 55, 62. 

Malby^ 132. 

Mangan, James Clarence, 306, 

308. 
Manister, 132. 
Manuscripts, 47. 
Mary I., 122-123, 163. 
Massacre of 1574, 126. 
Mass rock, 241, 242. 
Mathew, Father Theobald, 296- 

297. 
Maynooth College, 328. 
Maynooth, siege of, 117. 
McCormlck, Richard, 259. 
McDonnell, Sir Alexander (see 

Colchitto), 182. 
McGee, Thomas D'Arcy, 311. 
McGuire, Thomas, 316. 
McMahon, 144. 

McIVTanus, Terence Bellew, 312. 
McNevin, Dr. William, 266, 268. 
Meagher, Thomas Francis, 306, 

311, 312. 
Meath, 10, 18. 
Michael Dwyer, 288. 
Miledh, 17, 18. 

Milesians, civilization of, 20. 
Milesians, origin of, 16, 17. 
Milesians, religion of, 28, 29. 
Mines of Ireland, 15. 
Mississippi Bubble, 243. 
Mitchell, John, 307-311. 
M'Mahon, Bishop Heber, 191. 
Molyneux Case, 237. 
Monaghan, 144. 
Monck, 184. 
Monroe, James, 266. 
Monroe. Robert, 173, 175, 177- 

178, 179, 184. 
*'Monster Meeting," 298-299. 
Montgomery, Hough, 206. 
Moore, General, 276. 
Moore, Thomas, 331. 



Mortimer, Roger, 94, 106. 
Mount Cashel, 208, 210. 
Mountgarret, 173. 
Mountjoy, 150-151. 
M'Swiny, 140. 

Mullaghmast, massacre of, 127 
Mungret, school of, 46. 
Munster plantation, 137-138. 
Munster, province of, 10. 
Murphy, Father John, 271-276. 
Murphy. Father Michael, 274. 
Murphy, Nicholas, 268. 
Murrough (son of Brian), 58. 
Music of Milesians, 28. 
Muskerry, Lord, 192. 

Naas, 270. 

Nantes, 159. 

Napoleon Bonaparte, 284. 

Napper Tandy, 261, 279. 

National Confederacy, 139-157. 

Naul, 217. 

Neilson, Samuel, 260. 

Netherlands, 168. 

Newgate Prison, 268. 

New Ross, battle of, 273.- 

Niair of the Nine Hostages, 18, 

19. 
Niall ni., 50. 
Norbury, Lord, 289. 
Normandy, 81. 
Norman Invasion, 66-72. 
Norman Irish, 98. 
Norragh, 103. 
Norseman, 49. 

North Cork Militia, 270, 271. 
Northern Confederacy, 144. 
Nugent, General, 208. 

Gates, Titus, 201. 

O'Brien, Michael (see Allen, 

Larkin and O'Brien). 
O'Brien, Murrough (see Lord 

Inchiquin), 175. 
O'Brien, Sir Edward, 246. 
O'Brien, Sir Lucius, 246. 



ri^DEX 



343 



O'Brien, William Smith, 306- 

307, 311-312. 
O'Byrne, Fiach McHugh, 133- 

135. 
O'Connell, Daniel, 291-295, 298- 

304. 
O'Connor, Roderick (Rory), 66- 

68, 77, 79, 80, 83. 
O'Deveny, Cornelius, 162. 
O'Donnell, Hugh Roe, 140-154, 

159-160. 
O'Donnell, Roderic, 160. 
O'Doran, Brehon of MacMor- 

rough Clan, 109. 
OLeary, Father Arthur, 258. 
OUamh Fiola, 24. 
O'Loughrane, Con, 162. 
OMore, Rory, 127-128. 
O'More, Rory, 163. 
O'Neill, Brian, 126. 
O'Neill, Donald, 95. 
O'Neill, Hugh, 139-154, 159-160. 
O'Neill, Hugh (nephew of 

Owen Roe), 189-194. 
O'Neill, John, 315. 
O'Neill, Owen Roe, 172-185, 189- 

190. 
O'Neill, Shaun, 124-126. 
O'Neill, Sir Nial, 215. 
O'Neill, Sir Phelim, 169. 
O'Queely, Archbishop of Tuam, 

177. 
O'Regan, Tiege, 212, 231. 
O'Reilly, Philip, 169, 170, 171. 
Orkney Islands, 57. 
Ormond (see Butlers), 111, 116, 

129. 
Ormond, James, third Earl of, 

104 (see Butlers). 
Ossian, 27. 

Ossory, 40, 55. 

O'Sullivan, Donald, Lord of 
Beara, 153-157. 

O'Toole (see Saint Lawrence), 
70. 

Ouhart Hill, battle of, 271. 



Palatinates (see Kerry and Tip- 

perary), 98-99. 
Pale, the, 97. 
Parliament of James II., 210- 

211. 
Parliament of Kilkenny (see 

Kilkenny). 
Parliament of 1613, 162. 
Parnell, Charles Stuart, 321- 

323. 
Parson Hewiston, 248. 
Parsons, Sir William, 163, 169. 
Patriot Party, 246. 
Peep o'Day Boys, 262. 
Pembroke, Earl of (see Strong- 
bow). 
Penal Law of 1611, 16L 
Penal Law of Elizabeth, 123. 
Penal Code of Queen Anne, 238- 

242. 
Pension List, 249-250. 
Petition for Catholic Relief, 

290. 
Petty, Sir William, 196. 
Pharaoh, 17. 
Phoenix Society, 313. 
Pitt, William, 258, 263. 
Plantation of Muns'.er, 137-138. 
Plantation of Ulster, 160-161. 
Portmore, 144. 
Poynings's Act, 113. 
Poynings, Sir Edward, 113. 
Prendergast, 67. 
Preston, Colonel, 172, 181-182, 

185. 
Privy Council, 249. 
Proclamation against Catholics, 

158. 
Proclamation against priests, 

123. 
Psalter of Tara, 27. 

Quakers, 198. 

"Queen Bess," 123. 

Queen's County organized, 122. 

Quigley, Father James, 268. 



344 



INDEX 



Raleigh, Sir Walter, 138. 

Raphoe, 209. 

Rapparee Hogan, 223. 

Rathmines, 185. 

Rathmore, 92. 

Raymonde le Gros, 69. 

"Red Earl," the, 92. 

Reform of Parliament, 257-258. 

Relaxation of Penal Laws, 328- 

329. 
"Remonstrance," the, 201. 
Renunciation Act, 255. 
Richard II., 104-106, 107-108. 
Richelieu, Cardinal, 169. 
Right of Appeal, 244. 
Rinuccini (Papal Nuncio), 176- 

184. 
Riot Act, 264. 
Roberts, William, 314. 
Romans, 10. 

Rome, 118, 160, 176, 304. 
Rowan, Archibald, 262. 
Russel, Thomas, 288. 

Sacramental Test (see Test 

Oath), 238. 
Saint Bernard, 65, 
Saint Brendan, 46. 
Saint Brigid (ses Brigid), 43. 
Saint Colman, 45. 
Saint Columba, 43-45. 
Saint Columbanus', 45. 
Saint Congall, 45. 
Saint Finnan, 46. 
Saint Gall, 45. 
St. George's Channel, 9. 
Saint Kevin, 46. 
St. Leger, Marshal, 121, 149. 
Saint Maccaile, 43. 
Saint Malachy, 63-64. 
Saint Patrick, 19-44. 
St. Patrick's College, 328. 
St. Ruodan, 24. 
St. Ruth, 227, 228, 231. 
Sanctuary, 24. U 

Sandy, Mayor, 277. 



Sarsfield, General Patrick, 217, 
220-235. 

Saunders (Papal Legate), 131. 

Scandinavia, 49. 

Scarrifhollis, battle of, 191. 

Schomberg, General, 211, 212, 
216. 

Schools of Ireland, 46. 

Schools, Hedge, 327. 

Schools, National, 329-330. 

Schools, Charter, 245. 

Schools, Continental, 162, 327. 

Scota, 18. 

Scotia, Major, 10; Minor, 10. 

Scots and Picts, 44. 

Scravenmore, Lord, 235. 

Scythia, 16, 19. 

Seanchus Mor, 42. • 

Secession of Patriots, 264. 

Secession of "Young Ireland," 
305. 

S'sttlement, Act of, 195, 200, 211. 

Sheares, Henry, 269, 278. 

Sheares, John, 269, 278. 

Sheehy, Father, 248-249. 

Sherlock, Hester, 244. 

Sidney, Sir Henry, 125, 129, 130. 

Silken Thomas, 116, 117. 

Simancas, 156. 

Slane, Lord, 159. 

Slaney River, 17. 

Sliev Mish, I7. 

Sligo, 11, 166, 176, 192. 

Sligo, O'Connor, 148. 

Smerwick Massacre, 135, 138. 

Solme, Count, 216. 

Solohead, 53. 

Spain, 135-136, 152, 162. 

Spaniards, 131, 135, 152. 

Spanish garrison, 154. 

Spenser, the poet, 138. 
Speranza," 306. 

Stanley, Sir John, 108. 

Stanley (Lord Derby), 329. 

Statute of Kilkenny (see Kil- 
kenny). 

Stephens, James, 313, 314, 316. 



i?n -T4 



INDEX 



345 



Strafford, Earl of (see Went- 

worth), 166. 
Strongbow, 67-77. 
Stukely, 131. 
Supremacy, 120. 
Supreme Council, 172-174, 182. 
Survey, the Down, 196. 
Sussex, Earl of, 123-125. 
Swift, Jonathan, 243-245. 
Swiss, 45. 
Swords, 171. 

Synod at Innispatrick, 65. 
Synod at Kells, 172. • 
Synod at Kilkenny, 172. 
Synot, David, 188. 

Tailten, 18. 

Talbot, ?^rchbishop, 202. 

Talbot, Richard (see Earl of 

Tyrconnell). 
Talbot, Sir John, 110. 
Tanaist, 22. 
Tara, 23, 37, 299. 
Teagasc an Righ, 19. 
Temporalities Act, 296. 
Test Oath, 238. 
The Dalcassians, 51-53, 58-59. 
The Defender of the Faith, 149. 
The Defenders, 262. 
The Nation, 305-308. 
The Three Beasts, 196. 
Thomond, 10, 52. 
Tipperary, Palatinate of, 98-99. 
Tiptoft (Earl of Worcester), 

112. 
Tone, Theobald Wolfe, 259-260, 

266, 279-280. 
Tralee, 17. 

Treason-Felony Act, 309-310. 
Treaty of Limerick, 234-235. 
Treaty Stone, 234-235. 
Tuatha de Danaans, 15, 17. 
Turgesius, 50-51. 
Tyburn, 202. 
Tyrconnell Clan, 140. 
Tyrconnell, 143, 144. 



Tyrconnell, Earl of, 203-208, 

216, 218-221, 227, 232. 
Tyreoghan (Tyrone), 86, 124, 139, 

142, 143, 207. 

Ulster, Plantation of (see Plan- 
tation). 

Union, the Act of, 282-283. 

"United Irishman," the, 308. 

United Irishmen, establishment 
of, 260. 

United Irishmen, reconstruction 
of, 265-266. 

United Irishmen, arrest of, 26S. 

Usson, d'. Lieutenant General, 
230. 

Vandals, the, 46. 

Veto, the, 290. 

Violation of Limerick Treaty, 

235-237. 
Violation of Treaty with R. 

O'Connor, 87. 
Volunteers, the, 251-258. 

Walker, George, 210. 

War of Roses, the, 111-112. 

Weapons, 33, 34. 

Wentworth, Thomas, 166-167. 

West Indies, 195. 

Wexford Massacre, 188. 

Wexford Rising, 271. 

Whiteboys, the, 247. 

William of Orange, arrival of, 

213. 
William at the Boyne, 214-218. 
William before Limerick, 221- 

227. 
Wood, William, 243. 
W^oolen Trade, the, 167. 

Yellow Ford, battle of, 145-147. 
York, the Duke of, 111-113. 
Youghal, Franciscans at, 89. 
Young Ireland, 305-313. 



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